Spy School Reunion
by smh204
Summary: “In conclusion, the Academy of Espionage will be closed forever, effective immediately.” Those words changed Ben Ripley, Erica Hale, and the whole Spy School crew forever. Ten years later, Ben and the rest of them moved on with totally new lives. One has a family and one is the most famous influencers in the entire world. Can Ben get the team back together for one last mission?
1. Chapter1

**_This is my new book, Spy School Reunion. It is technically a sequel to my other book, Spy School: Clash of Spies, but it doesn't directly correlate to it so you do not have to read the first one to understand this. But I highly recommend you do so. It is a fanfiction of the Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs._**

**_It is told in first person from Ben's perspective, but sometimes it changes to third person for other character's point of view. Just a fair warning: there will be light swearing and a bit of action that can turn violent. It won't be graphic but there will be action. I'm also going to try to expand my writing techniques in this story. It should make sense but if it doesn't, just drop the question in the comments! :)_**

**_Also, I am a busy high schooler so I am going to post the first three chapters (one a week) and then not update until I write the whole story. I am sorry about that and thank you for sticking with me._**

**_So with that, please enjoy Spy School Reunion. I love votes and reviews! And I love to hear constructive criticism too, as I am learning many writing techniques._**

May, 2014

Dear [Censored]

CC: Cyrus Hale, Catherine Hale, Alexander Hale, CIA Director Jared Copperfield, Principal Barnes Sidebottom, Academy of Espionage staff

Subject: Academy of Espionage

Hello agents,

I would like to start by saying great work to everyone on Operation Yeasty Meerkat who not only prevented the decimation of many global landmarks, but saved the lives of many world leaders, including myself. Although we didn't catch Joshua Hallal, we do have some great information and now that agent Audrey Hale is on our side, we can proceed with taking down SPYDER. But I think it's safe to say that we won't be seeing them for a while. So good work to everyone who made that mission a success.

On to some graver news. I know that there were many young agents on Operation Yeasty Meerkat, including but not limited to, Ben Ripley, Audrey Hale and Erica Hale. They have been on many missions that helped our country and myself personally. That being said, I looked at the data and, save from a few talented young agents, the students from the Academy of Espionage who later become CIA agents end up at desk jobs or quit. About 1.2% of the agents who come out of the academy end up successful field agents. 39% of the Academy of Espionage students end up at a desk job, 7% work as janitors or other low-way jobs (where the Academy isn't necessary) and 28% end up quitting the CIA altogether right after their minimum two years are up. To make numbers even more alarming, 2% of the agents end up dead within five years of graduating and the rest are just failed field agents, who've never had a successful mission. There is also the issue that 0.7% of these spies-in-training turn against their country to become a double agent. These numbers are more than shocking. We've had this academy for decades, yet it hasn't really helped the CIA at all. We have way more success from people from the armed forces. Their mission success rates are exponential. To hire desk jocks, we can find them through Linkin and not send them to an all-expenses paid six-year academy. So what is the issue?

Maybe these students don't have the drive and dedication as the armed forces. Maybe they realized being a spy isn't all helicopters and car chases. Maybe they don't care. Whatever the case may be, something needs to change. The United States government is going through some rough financial times. It is no longer necessary or cost effective to even have a multi-million-dollar Academy of Espionage.

So, with a heavy heart, I say this: The Academy of Espionage will be shut down. Permanently.

I'm sorry,

David Stern

United States President

XxXxXx

Studio Apartment; Washington DC

1930 hours

April, 2024

10 years later

I heard the beep and I jumped up in alarm. I wasn't expecting to hear the haunting beep so early. Beep, beep, beep. It wasn't going off! I had to do something before it was too late! As I walked carefully into the next room, the beeping suddenly stopped. Huh, weird. So as carefully as I could, I opened the machine. Warm air blew on my face as I took the hot object out. Grinning, I put it down. My cup of noodles was ready.

Hi there. My name is Ben Ripley and used to be a spy. Well, actually, let me start over: Hi, my name is Ben Randolph and I'm an accountant. I live in a studio apartment in Washington DC and work at a private equity firm as the head accountant. What was that about being a spy? Oh right, I used to be a spy with the Academy of Espionage ten years ago, until it shut down due to budget cuts. Now I'm 24 years old, work a 9-5 job and live alone in my small apartment. Oh, how times have changed.

You may be wondering what happened to me and my once amazing life. I mean, most of my fellow friends from spy school live pretty great lives right now.

The CIA and the United States cut spy school back in 2014. They had us go back to our old, normal lives. My friend from the academy, Mike, and I went back to our old middle school to finish our 8th grade year. He went back to being the most popular kid in school, while I went back to being the world's biggest nerd. I was sort of "popular" simply because I was Mike's friend. High school rolled around and Mike continued to be really popular and was the star of the baseball team, who won the national title two years in a row. Because his life got so busy with baseball and other friends, he kind of dropped me. He would talk and text me occasionally, but never liked we used too. I suffered through high school with barely any friends.

The transition for me was hard. I missed spy school so much (even though I almost died a few times over) and I missed my friends there. In middle and high school, I was hung up on the old memories of the good times and missions. I had trouble moving on, which led me to stuck in the past and not focus on the future. But mostly, I was hung up on Erica Hale.

Over ten years ago, we were sitting at a lake, holding hands and life couldn't have been better. Back at spy school, we were becoming closer than friends, with her sometimes inviting me to her room to talk and study, or her actually coming to play frisbee with Zoe, Mike, me and other students. Life was shaping up and I was super excited to see where things went. Then the bombshell news hit. I remember that day like it was yesterday.

_"All students and facility, please report to the gym for an important announcement. Everyone, to the gym, now!"_

_I looked up, startled. Everyone else around me did too. The voice on the loudspeaker didn't sound like The Idiot's (aka the principal) voice at all. For a split second, I could've sworn it was the President of the United States, David Stern's voice. But why would he be here?_

_We filed out of our Self Preservation 201 class, all really surprised. We all headed to the gym and when we got there, people were frisking us (not agents, but secret service) and making us go through a series of metal detectors. The secret service took guns, knives, ninja stars and other various weapons that the students carried. Anything not attached to our body was to be confiscated. They even took my pencil. This confirmed the suspicion that the president was here, which begged the question: what the heck was he doing here?_

_We all finally settled into our seats and the POTUS himself, Mr. David Stern came out. No one said anything. No one clapped. All of our excitement was replaced by worry when we saw his face. It was grave._

_"Students, faculty and agents of the Academy of Espionage. As you know, I am President David Stern. I have some very unfortunate and shocking news: Due to budget cuts and lack of government funding, The Academy of Espionage will be shut down for good. Thank you for all of your hard work. The United States owes you all a great deal. But we don't have the money to keep the school open. However, if staff here think you have potential to be an extradentary field agent, you will be receiving notice shortly of a meeting with me, the director of the CIA and some staff. But for now, please go back to your rooms and pack. You will be leaving tomorrow to go back to your old homes and towns. There will be further instructions about keeping identities a secret. I am so sorry, but thank you for your service. In conclusion, the Academy of Espionage will be closed forever, effective immediately."_

_We were all shocked. Even Erica and Audrey Hale looked surprised. But no doubt they were getting a meeting for an offer at a permanent CIA job. But I was shocked and disappointed. There was a small chance at a permanent offer, but it was unlikely. I relied too heavily on Erica or other agents to be successful in the permanent field, even though I saved the world a few times. But I couldn't leave! My whole life was here! I had all my friends and I was truly happy. Was this all going to go away? As much as this life was stressful, it was way better than going back to middle school. This couldn't be happening._

_In a zombielike state, everyone walked out of the gym. No one was speaking to each other. Our minds were in turmoil about what just happened. I went back to my room and did what everyone else was doing: we packed. Someone brought boxes to each room and we were stuffing our personal belongings and some keepsakes for home. Somehow I got to remember this place._

_Suddenly, I heard a soft knock at my door while I was folding a shirt. Erica Hale came walking into my room. Normally, when we used to hang out, it was either in her room or somewhere on campus, never my room. As she once said, "It smells and looks like a pigsty." But here she was._

_"Hey," she said softly as she sat on my bed._

_"Hey," I said as I put the shirt in a box. I sat across from her on my desk._

_"Did they call you for a meeting yet?" Erica asked._

_I shook my head, "No. I doubt they will. I don't have what it takes to be in the CIA for good."_

_She looked at me incredulously, "You never give yourself enough credit. They will, I promise you. You saved the country and the world multiple times. You've saved me. They will meet with you."_

_I shrugged, "Maybe. Did they call you?"_

_She nodded._

_"So, I'm guessing you're staying in the CIA?"_

_Erica took a big deep breath and said, "No, actually I'm not."_

_This shocked me even more than the news that spy school was shut down. Erica's whole life was being a spy. She was training for it since she was two. She was also one of the best spies I'd ever met. How could she not want to be a spy anymore?_

_"What?! Why not? Your whole life is being a spy! How could you turn them down?!"_

_She let a big breath out, "My parents were there for the meeting. It was me, Grandpa, Dad, Mom, the Idiot, the director of the CIA and the president. And well... you said it. My whole life was being a spy. I never experienced anything else before. I only know that lifestyle. My parents encouraged me to try something else. Be normal for a change. And I thought, why not? I'm going to try high school and settle down in our house in New York for a few years and see how it goes. The CIA's offer is still on the table if I decide being normal absolutely sucks."_

_"It does," I cut in._

_"But I don't know that yet. I want to try it for myself." Erica finished._

_"Wow," I was utterly shocked, "Good for you."_

_I know that Erica would do fine in high school. She's super pretty and that's basically all that matters these days to stupid high school kids._

_"But what does that mean for you know... us?" I asked apprehensively._

_"That's what I wanted to talk about. Ben, in the meeting, they said we can't utter a word about this school to anyone, not even each other. We have to forget everything that ever happened or they'll kill us. I think the best way for both of us to move on and forget about spy school is to not talk to each other. Not continue this special friendship outside of these halls. Not to keep in contact. It'll be the best way for us to move on." Erica finished with downcast eyes._

_This stung even more. The final twist of the knife in my already crappy day._

_"What? That can't be the only way! Erica, these were the best three years of my life. I can't forget about you or the school!" I got really frantic._

_"Hold on, calm down," She said, "I didn't say to totally forget these memories, we just have to keep them to ourselves and only ourselves. I was saying the best way to do that is to keep out of touch. Out of contact. Trust me, Ben. This is as hard on you as it is on me. No one expected this."_

_"I.. I," I was at a loss for words, "But I don't want to."_

_"Nor do I. But it must be done. We must be done. But here," Erica slapped a sticky note in my hand, "Normally, I don't want to give out personal information like this on paper because anyone could see. But here." I looked at the note. It said ERICA on the top with a phone number on the bottom._

_"As my farewell gift to you, I am giving you my personal phone number. Only you, my grandpa and my parents have it. And you have my word that I will not change it. If there is a real emergency, call me and I'll see what I can do." _

_I was touched, since I knew how important Erica_'s _privacy was to her, "Thank you. I don't know what to say."_

_"I do," Suddenly, she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, "Bye forever Ben." Erica left without me saying anything else. That kiss was the final thrust of the knife. Erica Hale was truly gone._

Ten years later, I still have the sticky note. It is in the bottom drawer of my dresser. I've yet to use it. I haven't found a good-enough excuse. Plus, there is less of a chance she'd answer now that she is who she is.


	2. Chapter2

**I was going to wait until a week after I posted chapter 1 but I got impatient. :) School starts on Monday uggghhh but I got some quality writing done this break so that's good. And since I'm finally did my Disney and Netflix auditions I should have a little bit more free time. This chapter goes into where everyone else is and more backstory. Alright, pleas enjoy chapter 2! Thank you for the positive response to chapter 1!**

Mike and Zoe kept in touch, at least throughout middle and high school, even though we weren't supposed to. They were an item after Operation Yeasty Meerkat, just like I wanted to be with Erica. They tried to keep it long distance, but after a while it got hard too so they decided to be friends. I texted Zoe, Chip, Jawa and even Audrey occasionally during those years too, only about boring stuff like regular school and stuff. None of us wanted to risk being caught. The only time I talked about spy school was with Mike, when we knew we were alone. We all knew that we'd be caught if we spoke on the phone or texted about it, even using code words.

After spy school, Zoe moved back in with her family in Illinois. Jawa moved in with his family in Maryland and Chip and his brother Hank shared an apartment in Los Angeles, California. Audrey went back to live with her mom and uncle in their farm in California. From what I've heard, I think Audrey had her mom and Alexander meet and clear things up best they could without revealing they were spies. I think it went well as Audrey's mom forgave Alexander. Catherine wasn't too pleased to say the least that Alexander slept with someone while on a mission and still married (another reason they broke up), but Catherine apparently met and liked Audrey's mom, so all seems okay in the joint Hale/Finley family. (Finley was Audrey's last name before she knew it was Hale. It was her mother's maiden name.)

After we graduated high school, Mike was scouted by the Boston Red Sox and skipped college to play for them (and he still does). He is now a star pitcher and batter (unlikely for baseball) and he is really rich and famous. We barely spoke after he got recruited and I went to college. From what the tabloids say at the supermarket, he seems to be a bit of a playboy right now. I don't have any way of contacting him anymore, since he changed his number some years back.

Zoe seems to have settled in early to have a family. I saw this on Instagram. She has a handsome husband from the town in Illinois she lived in, has a toddler and they just had a baby girl. I don't know how Mike feels about this and if he even cares. I occasionally talk to her, but not often with her busy life.

Audrey, after spending three years with her mom and uncle, decided to join the CIA again. Whatever she does is confidential, but I'm pretty sure she's a spy/assassin for the United States. At the very least, she's a field agent.

I read in the newspaper just two days ago that Jawa is representing the United States in this year's Olympic Games for track and archery. Not surprising at all, since he was always a good athlete. I lost contact with him as well.

Chip surprised me a lot. He actually become a successful actor in Los Angeles and is known as a heartthrob in Hollywood. He is very handsome and starred in big box movies. He's not staying under the radar at all. I never spoke to him once he became famous.

I went for four years to Columbia and got this "prestigious" job at a big private equity firm. It pays well, but I'm not happy. I'm good at the job but ever since spy school, this isn't where I saw myself in the past. Oh well, whatever pays the bills.

Erica Hale (or Handler now, since all of us had to change our last names) was the biggest shock of them all. According to all of the fan and Wikipedia pages dictated to her, she went to elementary school and middle school (lie) in a small town in New York but moved to the big city in her sophomore year of high school (aka when spy school closed, she moved to the big city). She did well in school and was popular, but know to be distant. One day at Central Park, some modeling agents saw her and begged her to do these shoots. She did them (which shocked me since that didn't seem to be her forte at all) and soon became an internationally famous model. Now she's known as an influencer, but she doesn't have any social media. Erica keeps her cards close to her chest and mostly everything the media knows about her personal and dating life was by spying on her and her famous friends. Erica is like a mysterious celebrity and everyone loves it. She's known to be distant and intimidating when you meet her. No surprises there. Erica did a few movies as small roles but she's famous just for existing and being pretty. On the internet the other day, I saw her net worth was over forty million dollars.

Forty million dollars. According to TMZ, Erica has a mansion she designed which cost over sixteen million dollars. Barely a dent in her paycheck. And here I am, with a small apartment in a crappy area in Washington DC.

I don't know how I feel about this whole thing. I'm happy for Erica, I always knew she was pretty and going to be successful, but wow. She's as, if not more famous, than Kim Kardashian. People wait for hours at an airport just to get a glance at her. Erica really moved way up in social society. I'm not sure how she likes the life of a celebrity, after living in the shadows for a long time, but it seems like she's certainly not complaining.

But it hurts. To this day, I wonder if some days she thinks of me. I doubt it. If she did, Erica would have tried to reach out to me. Plus, why would she want to? Rumor had it she's dating the cutest popstar. Or she's dating the hottest movie star. TMZ and People Magazine can't decide. So why would she want to find me, a twenty-four-year-old accountant?

But not forever. I'm not going to be an accountant forever. I will hopefully move on to bigger and better things. Things I want to do. I mean, I'm still technically waiting for the CIA's call.

_"Benjamin Ripley, please report to the principal's office immediately. Ben Ripley, to the principal's office, now!" _

_I don't care anymore, I told myself. Erica wasn't going to be a spy anymore. Part of the reason I loved being a spy was that I could spend time with Erica! _

_Although, Erica was technically correct an hour ago. They were going to call me to the office for a meeting about my future at the CIA. _

_The real question was if they offered me a permanent, would I take it? _

_Ask me two hours ago, it would have been an immediate yes. But now... without Erica? The CIA would never be the same. I don't even want to go to the meeting. What if they tell me that I can't be in the CIA anymore? Ugh... wait do I want to in the CIA? I don't care anymore. _

_But my body betrayed me, as I was curious, and made me trudge up to the office. When I got there, I was greeted by the principal of spy school, CIA director (whose name I still don't know), Cyrus Hale and the president himself, David Stern. _

_"Hi..." I said awkwardly as I sat down in front of these high-profile people (aside from Principal Sidebottom). _

_Cyrus grunted while the CIA director and the principal looked like they'd rather be anywhere else and the president greeted me with a big smile and said, _

_"Benjamin Ripley! Always a pleasure to see you!" _

_I couldn't help but smile, "Likewise." It wasn't every day the president of the US praised you. _

_President Stern smiled yet again. _

_"I know you're probably very busy packing for your departure, so I'll cut right to the chase: the reason you're in here is because we want to discuss the future of your career in the CIA. And I must be very blunt with you, Ben: We will not be asking you to stay with the CIA for the time being."_

_I was totally shocked. I shouldn't have been. I knew I wasn't a very good student and spy and I didn't really have a chance against kids like Erica. Knowing this, however, I still had a small part of me that was confident they were going to ask me to stay._

_"Wha-? I-I um... I understand." I stuttered out. What was I going to do now? My whole life at that point was to be and train to be a spy. I couldn't go back to my old middle school. I just couldn't. It would be so boring without constantly worrying that I was going to be attacked by an enemy organization._

_President Stern gave me a sympathetic smile._

_"Ben, I am so sorry. You are such a smart kid who is going to do great things in life. Heck, you've saved my life. But I'm going to be honest: you rely heavily on Erica Hale during many of your missions. She will not be at the CIA next year. We are worried about how you will do in the field without Agent Hale to help you. And Ben, why do you even want to be a spy? Your grades are excellent in normal school. You can go to Yale, Harvard, the sky's the limit! So why be stuck in the CIA's system, where you constantly fear for your life, when you can study what you want to at a top college?"_

_"Because I like being a spy!" I protested. As much as I wanted to deny it, there was a small part of me where I saw President Stern was right. I could have a great college education and study rocket physics. But I liked being a spy! I liked saving the world! I could never go back to being a regular teenager after those experiences and missions!_

_"I can tell that you do, Ben." President Stern reassured me, "And so does all the students who went to this fine institution. But we simply do not have the money or resources to keep all these junior spies. I wish we did."_

_"President Stern is skirting around the subject." The CIA director cut in, "There are plenty of better spies than you coming out of the academy. We can't keep everyone who was in the school in the CIA. You still need an immense amount of training. Heck, you can't even shoot a gun! We have so many students from this academy who need little to no training at all. So explain to me this Benjamin: Why would we take a risk on a kid like you when there are far better candidates?"_

_Wow way to be blunt. He was correct, however. Why would the CIA let some boy into the United State's number one security and counter-espionage defenses? A boy who had some success in the field because of pure luck. Because he was too dependent on his partner. _

_"Woah there Andrew. Let's calm down." President Stern smiled, but it seemed very forced, "Ben. I promise you that if we have a problem, if the US has a problem we can't solve, we'll call you. If SPYDER resurfaces, we'll call you. We might even have the funds and space for you back in the CIA by then. But, as of now, you are free to go. Go live your life like a normal teenage boy should." _

_Just like that, my life as a spy was demolished. _

And ten years later, I'll still waiting, hoping, for that call.


	3. Chapter3

**-This part gets confusing and please ask if there are any questions. I got this out a little sooner than I thought because I have two finals this week and formal and parties this weekend. I'm packed full right now studying. I think I'll just keep posting chapters since I wrote up to chapter 10. But no promises. We'll see haha. Please enjoy. Vote and comment!! **

I went about my regular nighttime routine. Finish work around six. On the way home, pickup some food. Bring the food home and eat it, alone, in my apartment. Watch the news or TV until I shower and get to bed.

I didn't have that many friends anymore. My only really good friend in elementary and middle school was Mike. At spy school, I had quite a few friends, but we're not really allowed to talk to them too much and cannot even utter a word about spy school so I have nothing in common with them. All of my coworkers are either huge know-it-all jerks or ultra-nerdy so it's hard to get to be friends with them. I'm in my 20's so I should be partying, going to the clubs and such but those aren't my scene at all. I'm really socially awkward so that's always a big turnoff for girls. Therefore, I'm alone. Always.

I got my microwavable ramen out of the microwave and sat down to eat it in front of the TV. I flipped it on and settled for watching the news. A great way to brighten your day. Crime rates up 11%, fires in northern California, a new corporate scandal, car accident leaving two dead... all just wonderful stuff. Then the politics segment comes up. Oh yay, another round of unhappy news.

But this time, it wasn't about some campaign fraud or abuse of power or a sexual misconduct accusation. It was a result of an unexpected election. I've heard about this campaign very briefly. This man who was on the House of Representatives for a tiny part of Nebraska (population two thousand) suddenly died about two weeks ago. Since this part of Nebraska was so small, there were only a few people qualified and eligible to take his place from that district. The election was quick and hasty. Some guy from that town who just moved there a year or two prior is taking his place. I never caught his name though. I didn't care enough about the election because he was from Nebraska but they were talking about it on the news so I stuck by and watched.

"In more recent news, from Boulder, Nebraska, the election results for the position of the House of Representatives are in. After Mark Dazy passed away two weeks ago, this tiny district was in need of a replacement. There were only two eligible candidates with the right credentials from Boulder: Susan Mackie and Joshua Duncan. And after a quick and easy campaign, the winner is... Joshua Duncan!" The newscaster said, grinning. They flashed Joshua's picture on the screen.

It can't be! I dropped my chopsticks in a haste. There, on the television screen in front of me, was none other than a picture Joshua Hallal himself, in all of his handsome glory.

"You know, the folks of Boulder are lucky, don't you think Carol?" The other newscaster said to her.

"They sure are, Trent! Mr. Duncan only moved to Boulder about a year ago and is studying to be a lawyer and politician. It just so happens that Mark Dazy died and they were looking for a replacement. At only 28 years old, one of the youngest house members, Duncan was trying to find a cheaper place to live after some financial debt and stumbled upon Boulder. He was qualified to run in this current election and Boulder needed someone. It was a miracle!"

I barely heard them in my shock. Miracle, I think not. Sounds like something Joshua set up. That maybe SPYDER set up. There is no way it was a coincidence. Joshua Hallal. I haven't seen or heard about that name in a long time. Ever since I left spy school, I didn't have the clearance level to know about Joshua or SPYDER's whereabouts. After I left the CIA, SPYDER didn't contact me either. I guess I was forgotten. But there is no way that Joshua happened to turn his life around after years of being evil and happened to become a House of Representatives member. No way. There is something brewing beneath the surface of this whole mess and he was in the middle of it. And I was determined to find out what it was.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

That night, I didn't follow my regular routine. First thing I did was researched everything there was to know about this 'Joshua Duncan' and his campaign. I had to figure this out. It was my duty! I used to be a spy after all and defeating Joshua Hallal and SPYDER was what I was known for! And maybe if I do solve this case and there is something malicious going on, the CIA would recognize me again and they'd ask me to join them again. They'd say "We needed you Ben! We've missed you!" and let me back in. I could get back to what I love to do and not some crappy accounting job. I could get back to getting recognized and honored.

I ran a Google search on Joshua Duncan. Apparently, he grew up in the Washington DC area with a mom and dad. He went through elementary, middle and high school homeschooled as his parent traveled all around the world on business trips. He got his education on the go and on his travels. But during his first year at Brown, his parents passed away in some tragic sailboat incident. He put himself through the rest of his college education and because he was in so much student debt and financial loss, he settled in Boulder. He tried to continued his education online but when Mark Dazy died, he focused all of his energy on the election and won.

I don't believe most of this information. Joshua, yes grew up in the DC area, but went to Spy School and then dropped out of school to join SPYDER. I don't know anything about his real parents but I doubt they're dead. And he most definitely didn't go to Brown. It is an awfully big coincidence Joshua moved there a mere year before they were looking for a new house position. This was probably all a setup by SPYDER or whoever Joshua is working for now.

Then I ran a search on Mark Dazy because he 'suddenly' passed away. He was an older man in his 70's with a loving family. He lived in Boulder most of his life, except when he left home to study at UCLA college. He served in the House of Representatives for thirty years before his passing. He died in his bed one night from an apparent heart failure. Heart disease was uncommon in his family but it has happened occasionally. We don't know the official cause. Mark was a family man with five children and seven grandchildren. They were a very close-knit family and the death was a shock and devastation for all of them and all of Boulder. He was known to be very kind to everyone. The family decided against an autopsy for his body, seeing that he was already dead and they couldn't handle more grief. It sounded a bit suspicious, however.

Through more and more research, a few things didn't add up. Politicians are under so much scrutiny these days, so why didn't these red flags I was finding online every surface? I found no actual pictures of Joshua at Brown. Only his name on multiple websites, club lists, class rosters and such. But absolutely no pictures. The reason I seemed to find out why no one dove deep into his past was because of the small town he ran in. Normally, when scandalous things come out about a candidate, the other candidate found them or people in that town found them. Everyone in Boulder was so happy to have found an elidable, handsome person to take Mark's place on such short notice. They didn't care about his past and didn't even look into it. And since it was such a small town, the rest of the country didn't care to investigate him. Joshua basically got this position scott-free.

It was almost midnight and I had to work the next day. Just one more article I told myself. In this one, it was about Mark Dazy's last moments on Earth. The night before his death, he had a huge dinner. All of his children, grandchildren, sisters and brothers and wife was there. But it so happened that Joshua was there too. Apparently, Joshua was Mark's apprentice, trying to learn all he could about politics. According to Mark's daughter, who was at the dinner, Mark thought of Joshua as his sixth son. Joshua didn't have parents, so Mark thought of himself as his parent and mentor. Joshua was present at Mark's last dinner. Something was going on.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

After a restless night of sleep, I finally woke up. It was 6 AM and I had an hour before I had to get ready for work. I grabbed my phone off my nightstand and did a quick search of Joshua Duncan's parents. I found the article. It was from eight years ago. A sailboat in the Mediterranean Sea was sightseeing some wildlife when a huge windstorm came. The wind was so strong, the crew didn't have the time to lower the sails (as they were in close haul) and the wind caught the sails and capsized. There were no survivors.

It seemed like a legitimate article from a reliable news article site. I've read multiple articles on this site. SPYDER, or whoever Joshua was working for couldn't have planned this far in advance. Eight years? That's crazy. And despite how much power anyone has, they couldn't have changed the winds so that it would hit that boat. So, what was I missing here?

I decided to look into the parents of Joshua Duncan instead of him. I found a very old Facebook account from before they died. It had many pictures on it. I clicked one the first one, captioned "Joshua's first Cruise!" and a picture of an eight-year-old boy. That boy smiling back at me wasn't Joshua Hallal at all.

I could see how someone might be mistaken. This boy had the same sandy blonde hair and smirk smile. They both had the same tan skin tone. But that's where the similarities ended. Joshua Duncan was pretty tall and skinny while Joshua Hallal had a bigger, stronger build and normal height. Plus, Joshua Duncan had a bunch of freckles while Joshua Hallal had none. As I zoomed in closer, I noticed that Joshua Duncan had a small, red birthmark at the base of his neck, on the right side. Joshua Hallal didn't.

I kept scrolling through the pictures. Joshua Duncan at 8-14 years old. But by the time Joshua Duncan got older and older, pictures became less frequent. If there were any, they were super blurry and you could barely make anything out. The latest post was only two months before the parents' death. It was captioned "Joshua Duncan's first day of Brown! We are both so proud of our little boy!" But there was no picture. There was an error message that said "Unable to Display". But none of the other pictures were 'Unable to Display'. There were no recent pictures of Joshua Duncan online, probably because he was getting farther and farther away from looking like Joshua Hallal. It was evident that Joshua Hallal stole the identity of this guy, Joshua Duncan. And the real question was: where is the real Joshua Duncan and what did Joshua Hallal do to him?

It seemed stupid that Joshua Hallal would try to steal Joshua Duncan's identity. After all, Duncan doesn't have three fake limbs like Joshua Hallal. But in all of Hallal's campaign pictures, he is wearing pants so you can't see his prosthetic legs. And because of recent technological advances, you can't tell he has fake legs at all. In the case of his arm, he has a fancy robot arm (without guns or rockets like he used to I presume) and claims a lion bit it off during an African excursion. Since his parents aren't alive to tell the tail, Joshua Hallal could say whatever he wanted about his stolen identity, Joshua Duncan.

I didn't know what Joshua Hallal planned to do with his fake identity or why he wanted to be in the House of Representatives. But whatever the reason, it couldn't be good. I was in over my head. So reluctantly, I went to my side table drawer and pulled out a sticky note with ten numbers. And I dialed the number.


	4. Chapter4

This chapter includes Erica Hale and my own character, Audrey Hale (from spy school clash of spies). You might think Erica (or any of the characters) are out of character. In my opinion, the should be a little OOC. It's been ten years and their lives changed dramatically in that time. It would be unrealistic for them not to be. So please keep an open mind. Also, perspectives change in this chapter so Ben is still first person while any other character's perspective is third person limited. It should be clear when perspective change but if it isn't , just drop the question!

Alright on that note, please enjoy. Thanks for all the reviews and comments. You'll are awesome!! Each and every positive comment makes my day!!

16 Million Dollar Mansion in Beverly Hills near Hollywood

0700 hours

April 10, 202

Erica Handler sat on her giant loveseat overlooking Hollywood from vast windows as she flicked through her emails.

Request to go on Jimmy Fallon. Delete. She wasn't promoting anything right now.

Fundraising gala. Sure... they were raising money for cancer research.

Kardashian Party? Na, too public. She didn't mind them but their events turned into a gossip magazine frenzy. Erica preferred to keep a little more private than that.

Vogue magazine photoshoot and interview? Yeah, why not. Erica could go for a nice cover shoot. Any excuse to make an outfit with her designer.

Oprah's birthday party? Hell yeah. No explanation needed for that one.

Request to be in Blake Blane's music video. No way. That creepy country singer was trying to get her to do whatever he could, whether it was in videos or appearances on the same talk show. Erica knew he had a massive crush on her and she didn't reciprocate the feelings at all.

Charity event at local children's hospital? Always. Those cute didn't ask her about her relationships or tried to get pictures for clout on social media. They didn't care. It was amazing.

Suddenly, an unknown number popped on the screen for a call. Erica quickly rejected it. She always got scared when someone called her. If the news outlets or public got her number, she would never get left alone. All of her business went through her manager or through her email. Only her very, very close friends had her actual phone number.

The number popped up on the screen again. If it was an accident call, they wouldn't have called twice. Erica feared the worst. The media had gotten her number. She deleted the call.

Finally, for a third time this person called. This time, she screenshotted the number, intending to research it later. But denied the call.

Erica realized that it was a Washington DC area code. At first, she thought maybe it was her mom or dad or grandpa or even her sister. But she double checked and their numbers were already in her contacts, thus not an unknown number. The unknown caller finally gave up and Erica resumed what she was doing. But she kept this caller in her mind, wondering who it might be.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I groaned and gave up after the third call. Erica probably changed her number after she got famous. Why would she even remember a promise she made ten years ago? It was no use. I guess I'd have to forget about this whole thing for right now and go to work.

Suddenly, someone was banging on my door. Loudly.

"I'm coming!" I shouted at them. The banging increased.

I glanced out of the peephole. My landlord, Chase Gains. He was a middle-aged man who had some serious drinking problems. He didn't have an issue with you if you paid rent on time, which I did, but sometimes he would get randomly angry and kick someone's door down. We would report him, but the apartment was in pretty good quality and he charges cheap.

I opened the door, "Hey Chase! Good to see you!" It really wasn't but I was trying to be polite since he seems fairly angry, even at 7 am. At least he wasn't drunk.

"Here." He said gruffly as he handed me a paper.

I quickly scanned it and grew very angry. "Evicted?! Why the heck am I getting evicted?!" I practically screamed.

"The other residents in this building don't like you. They're threatening to leave if you don't. And I'm not having my best customers leaving because a cranky guy like you complains about them 24/7." He seemed very unsympathetic about the whole thing.

"I'm a great customer!" I snarled, "I've lived here for three years! I don't report you to the police when you stumble around drunk! All I do is complain when the stupid neighbors have raging parties at two in the morning and I'm trying to sleep!"

"Exactly, kid. You complain to me all the time. Nothing I can do. Freedom of speech or whatever. You're a constant pain in the rear. Plus, now more people want to live here and I can afford to increase rent. I'll be making even more money! See why it's best for me to evict you?"

"No, I don't! Of course, I don't! And I'm pretty sure it's illegal to kick someone out for no reason!" I snapped back at him.

Chase shook his head, "It's not. You signed the contract when you started renting this place. It said in the fine print that I could evict you whenever I felt like it. And you can keep the apartment for double the rent or leave. I'm trying to be reasonable with you."

"Double the rent? Are you insane?! That's way too expensive for a studio apartment!"

"So, it's settled then: you have 24 hours to get out. Good luck, man." Chase smirked and walked down the hall, leaving me bursting in rage.

I guess I'm not working today.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I called my boss. He wasn't mad I was skipping work that day. He was never mad. I could practically do whatever I wanted at that company. They were all so thankful that I was working there (as I did the work of three people in half the time) and I was the best accountant. So instead of working, I was stuck with packing up all my belongings in boxes to stick into storage before I find a new place to live. If I could even. Washington DC was one of the hardest places to find affordable, safe apartments. Most apartments were either super pricy and high end, or awful for all of the addicts or poor sketchy people. There was barely any in between. And even if there was, it would still be very expensive because landlords knew they could charge it and people would still buy them.

I had to be very careful with my money now. I was technically homeless. All I had was my car. After packing all of my stuff up and putting it in storage, I started looking for a new place to live. I was right. The places were either like three thousand dollars a month, or five hundred dollars a month (pee smell included!). So, I made a rash decision: I was going to live in my car for the time being. Plus, it was time for a break from work. Maybe I could travel or something. Or maybe I could solve the Joshua Hallal case.

I called my boss once more. I told him I was going to be gone for a week. To get to the bottom of the House of Representatives Joshua Duncan story. And I needed help. I was going to find Erica Hale for the first time in ten years.

I also needed an excuse to see her again. This Joshua thing was legit. Despite how I said I had gotten over being a spy and her, I didn't. I thought of her daily, in her posh lifestyle and wondered if she thought of me. I missed her every day. I was still hung up on the past even though I tried to move on. I wanted my old life back.

So, at the local Starbucks, I tried to find Erica. Well, her house anyway. Just my running a mere google search on Erica Handler (Hale) millions of results come up. Her getting coffee. Talking with another celebrity at a gala. On Ellen promoting one of her charities. Walking down the street. But when I google 'Erica Handler House' multiple articles pop up, but they all say the same thing. Erica lives in a 16-million-dollar house she designed herself. They got the number from a contractor who worked on the budgeting and leaked the news, hoping to get famous. Instead, he got pegged with a hundred-thousand dollar fine for violation of privacy. TMZ first reported it, but they had no idea where it was. They guessed it was in California, but they didn't know much more than that. Typical Erica: She keeps her private life close to her chest.

But I was determined to find it. There was a good chance that when I get there, she would slam the door on me or forget I existed but I didn't care. I wanted to see Erica once again. Through some light hacking, I tried to get the address. There was no information at all on the web. I had a suspicion that it was part of Erica's doing. Using her past spy skills, she must have disguised that information about herself on the internet. According to Code and Hacking 101 at spy school, it was surprising easy to do.

But I couldn't find information. The only people who I knew had the address worked at the CIA and MI6. Audrey, Alexander and Catherine Hale.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I attempted to go to Audrey first. The last time I had talked to her was the day we left spy school. We had quickly exchanged a goodbye and her friends whisked her away again. After the whole mission with the United Nations, she was allowed to be re-enrolled in the Academy of Espionage, despite the fact she worked with an enemy organization for a long time. I think the CIA was just worried they'd lose another amazing agent, so after some light questioning, she was let back in. And no one at spy school protested. In the end, she saved everyone along with the rest of us on the mission, so no worries.

But I couldn't find anything on Audrey on the CIA's website. This isn't a huge surprise because if you put an employee list for the United States' main intelligence agency, there would be no point in undercover work. I tried to hack the site, but the important data was well protected. So I went to the person who told me about Audrey's work in the CIA: Alexander Hale.

There was plenty on Alexander on the CIA's website. His accomplishments and awards. He had changed his number since I had it five years ago (CIA agents are required to change their number at least once a year) so I was trying to get his new one. Finally, through many back doors and some hacking, I found his most recent phone number.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

He picked up on the third ring:

"Hello? Agent Hale here." Alexander's official voice came through the speaker.

"Alexander?" I asked, intending to start talking. He cut me off though,

"Who's asking? Who is this?" his voice rang with suspicion.

"It's me, Ben." I said. I was technically not allowed to even say Ben Ripley aloud and since I was calling a CIA number (which are evidently all recorded conversations) I simply said my first name.

"Ben who?" Alexander asked, "Are you CIA?"

"Ben. Ben Randolph." I nearly rolled my eyes. For a CIA agent, he wasn't too acute.

"I don't know a Ben Randolph. I think you have the wrong number."

"Ben! Ben Ripley!" I yelled, exasperated, into the phone. The people in the Starbucks looked at me strangely.

Alexander gasped, "Ben Ripley? Oh my gosh, is this really you? Your voice is so much deeper than I remember! How long has it been? Three years?"

"More than three. A little more than five." I corrected him.

"That can't be right! It's been too long! Did you know Audrey joined the CIA three years after spy school closed?"

"I did. You told me that when I last talked to you."

"And did you know Erica is famous?" Alexander asked, a little giddy. Duh, of course I knew that. It was like asking if I knew the sky was blue. Everyone knew who Erica Handler is.

"Yeah, I do. Her face stares at me every time I buy milk at the grocery store."

"You're right, she is in the tabloids a lot these days. She's finally getting the recognition she deserves for all of her hard work, even if it is in an... ah unconventional way." The hard work? She should be getting peace medals, not People's Choice Awards. She barely had to do any work to become as famous as she is. Erica just has to look pretty and that's all the people care about.

"I guess so. Hey, is Audrey around?" I asked.

"Audrey? No, not around here. In fact, we're not even in the same building. Or country. I'm... on a very dangerous mission right now. My destination is... classified but I can patch you over to her. Why?" Alexander asked, sounding a little confused.

"I want to talk to her. I haven't in a really long time and I want to catch up. Also, there is something else I want to discuss with her." I specifically didn't tell Alexander about my ideas. I didn't know if I was just spit balling or if it was legit. I wanted to talk to the Hale sisters before I bring it up to anyone else. Plus, I wasn't too sure how Alexander would feel if I told him I was trying to find his daughter's address. It seems kind of stalker-ish.

"Oh, well, okay then, Ben. I'll connect your call with her. It was nice talking to you. Please call again soon! It was nice to talk to you. We should officially catch up sometime. I miss my little junior spy protégé!" Alexander offered a small laugh.

"What about Erica?" I joked.

"Oh, Dad took her. You're mine. Let's talk soon. I'll send your call over to Audrey." With that, I heard beeping on the other end, and then some ringing.

After the second ring, Audrey Hale picked up. I haven't talked to her in ten years, since spy school. All I know is that she joined the CIA again. That's it. Not what she did or what she does. Nothing. I now I'm going to talk to her.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Hello? This is Agent Hale." Her voice sounded the same from 10 years prior.

"Audrey? This is Ben Ripley." I didn't know should I say. I still had to technically use my fake name but I doubt she'll remember it, so I went with my real one. Since I was talking to a CIA agent, the line is secure anyway. Recorded, but secure. I might get in trouble soon. Because Audrey stayed with the CIA, she got to keep her name.

"Ben?!" You could tell how shocked she was through the phone.

I gave a weak chuckle, "Yeah, it's me. How are you?"

"How-how am I? How are you? I haven't heard from you in a long time! No one has!"

"What do you mean?" I asked. Who hadn't heard from me in a long time?

"Zoe, Mike, Chip, Jawa, Erica... All those people. You've barely reached out to any of your old friends. Zoe said you used to talk to her on Instagram. Now, she said you never talk to her or are even on Instagram. I wasn't totally sure you were even still alive." Audrey said the last part lightly, as a joke.

I chucked a little bit, "Couldn't you have figured that out with all your top-secret CIA technology?"

"I could have, but I'd seem like a stalker." She joked.

I couldn't believe that she was talking about my old spy school friends like they just talked. They weren't allowed too! We were already risking it by talking about spy school over the phone. Plus, Erica, Chip, Jawa and even Mike were all super famous now. How could she have their contact information, other than the fact she is CIA?

"How did you hear from all of them? I lost contact awhile ago." I said.

"Well, I obviously have Erica's number, I have Zoe's and somehow I spoke to Mike and Jawa from some event I went too. But no ones even heard from you."

I kind of tuned out everything after hearing Erica's name. Does she still remember me? Does she talk about me? Does this global celebrity think about me?

"Really? Erica talks about me?" I sounded way too giddy.

She laughed. It was a cheerful, nice sound.

"You still hung up on her? You and every guy in the country now it seems. She told me she gets at least twenty marriage proposals daily; some from guys she's never even met. Have you talked to her since... wow I guess ten years ago?"

"No."

"Do you want to?" Her voice was light and taunting.

I felt my face turn red and I was glad she couldn't see it through the phone.

"Anyway, don't you want to know how I got your number?" I tried to veer away from the subject.

"Oh, I know. Alexander patched you through, right? You know, CIA agents aren't supposed to give his number to people outside the CIA and family but he never followed the rules on that."

"Well, he actually didn't. I kinda hacked the CIA website. But speaking of Alexander, if you can tell me, where is he? He told me he was on a dangerous mission in another country."

Audrey confusion was clear through the phone, "Um... no, he's not."

I was confused too, "Really? He said you and him weren't in the same country and that he was on a dangerous mission."

"Yep, no, he lied to you to preserve his ego, like always. Old habits die hard, I guess. I was in the other country. I'm actually on a flight coming back from Syria right now."

"Oh," I chuckled, "That makes more sense. That's what he told me when I called him."

"But why did you call him, looking for me? It's kind of out of the blue. Just called to check up?"

"No actually, but it is good to hear from you. I have some information and a few questions about an old enemy and I thought getting help from a CIA agent would be beneficial. Plus, I need advice on how to proceed."

Audrey's voice turned very serious, "An old enemy? Hmm... interesting. Are you still in the DC area?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Then meet me in an hour. My flight is almost over. I'll come straight from the airport. I'll text you the address. We need to talk in person." Her voice took a serious, professional tone.

Without me even saying anything, she hung up.

A second later, a text from an unknown number came through. It was an address to this café in the outskirts of downtown DC. There was also a timer underneath the text. I assume the text disappears after the timer is over. I only had ten seconds left.

I quickly scrambled over to my desk and wrote the address down on a note pad. I felt a vibration on my phone and the entire conversation and number from Audrey completely disappeared. It was amazing technology. I guess I was meeting Audrey for the first time since the close of spy school.

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I sat at a table in the corner of the cute little French café in Washington DC and tapped my fingers. I checked my watch yet again. It's been an hour and twenty minutes since I talked to Audrey. I had been sitting in the shop for about a half an hour. The owner felt bad for me I think, since she thought I was getting stood up on a date, so I got a free coffee. There is a chance that I was being stood up, but I prayed that wasn't the case. Plus, Audrey didn't seem like the person to stand me up, although she worked for an enemy organization and almost killed me a few times. But she was coming, I think.

Finally, after an hour and thirty-two minutes, I heard the bell door ring. She was here.


	5. Chapter5

**3 finals left to go. Good luck to anyone else who has finals. **

Aunty Sandy's French Café and Bakery

Washington DC

1304 hours

April 10

Audrey finally arrived at the bakery. It was her favorite meeting place. The ladies in there were super nice, the food was good and it was relatively quiet.

She really hoped Ben had arrived. Audrey hadn't had seen him in ten years and she was looking forward to seeing him and catching up with him. But mostly, she was intrigued to see what information he had. The CIA was investigating this new case and she wondered if it had anything to do with what Ben had found out. Or maybe this whole thing was a ruse to get her to meet him. She had no idea, but she also had nothing better to do this afternoon, other than sleep. Audrey was super jetlagged from being in Syria on an intel-gathering mission on a recent terrorist group.

Audrey also felt super bad because she was half an hour late to meet Ben. Her flight had taken longer than it was supposed too and the traffic in Washington DC is horrid.

She walked in and the familiar ding went off. Audrey quickly scanned the area, an old habit, and her wandering eyes found Ben Ripley.

The first thought in her mind was he looks crappy. Not that he wasn't good looking (he had the potential to look handsome with his chiseled jawline and sandy brown hair) but he overall looked bad. He had dark circles under his eyes, his hair was all messy and his shirt was wrinkly. He was also way skinnier than she remembered and was super pale as if he was sick. Audrey found herself being concerned for his health. It wasn't looking like he was taking care of himself.

But Audrey took all this in in a split second. When he noticed her, his face instantly brightened (probably in relief that she didn't stand him up) and he gave her a big smile. Audrey gave him an apologetic smile and gestured that she was going to get a coffee (seeing he already had one) and made her way over to the counter.

The old lady, Aunty Sandy, stood at the counter smiling at Audrey like she always did. Audrey went to this café once a week if she wasn't on a mission, so she knew all of the workers well. Aunty Sandy was an old, sweet woman who worked the counter every time she came in. She also knew Audrey's order by heart.

"The usual, I'm guessing, Audrey?" The older women smiled kindly at her.

Audrey gave an exhausted smile, "You know it."

"You look tired, my dear! Are you getting enough sleep?" Aunty Sandy reminded Audrey of a sweet grandma and she was always concerned with Audrey's health. The time she had come in with bruises from a mission, Aunty Sandy almost had a heart attack.

Audrey chuckled, "I am, I just came back from a trip and am super jetlagged."

"You overwork yourself! You come in a five in the morning for a coffee some days or at six in the evening for one. And you have impromptu business trips! Your schedule is always crazy! What do you do?"

She gave a knowing smile, "Too much work, that's for sure."

"Bah, that's true! Take a break! You're a young, pretty girl! Don't work so much! Live your life! Or you're going to regret it later!"

"Okay, Aunty Sandy," Audrey gave the women a kind smile, "Gosh, I feel so bad. I am over half an hour to meet someone."

The older women raised an eyebrow, "That young fellow sitting in the corner?"

Audrey didn't need to turn around to know she was talking about Ben, "Yeah, that's him."

"Oh good! It least you're here now. I was worried. I kept going up to him and he kept saying he was waiting for someone. I thought that poor boy was being stood up for a date. I gave him a free coffee since he's been waiting for about forty minutes now. Go over to him, now, young lady! Don't make your date wait!"

Audrey chuckled, "No, it's not a date. I'm meeting an old friend."

"Ah, nonetheless, go over to him. Do you date? You should date him! You really need to get a life." Aunty Sandy lectured her.

She couldn't help but smile at the older lady worried about her social life, or lack of. Audrey did have a social life though. She was lightly dating this guy from the agency, but she couldn't tell Aunty Sandy about her secret job.

"We'll see, Aunty. Well, I better go over there. I haven't seen Ben for ten years." With that, Audrey walked over to the table.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Audrey walked into the café. I couldn't help but let out a little gasp. She was gorgeous. Audrey had always been pretty, but time had really been kind to her. She was tall and skinny with perfectly tanned skin. She had long, perfectly straight blonde hair and light makeup. Erica is known for being stunning, but her sister is just as pretty. I could tell that the guy sitting in the front of the café was totally checking her out. And his girlfriend, sitting right there, was not too happy.

She scanned the room and her gaze fell on me. Her blue eyes were intimidating but looked exhausted as well. Her mission in Syria must have been tiring.

Audrey gave me a smile that said I'm-really-tired-and-really-sorry and gestured she was going to get a coffee. I nodded. She spoke to the kind older women who gave me the coffee (and felt bad for me) for a while. Finally, she came over to the table.

"Hi Ben, how are you? It's nice to see you again." For a second, I couldn't breathe. Up close, she was even more beautiful. I felt like a teenager again, seeing a pretty girl. My love life has been non-existent for the last few years. I used to lightly date at my accounting firm but I couldn't get Erica out of my mind so there hadn't been any serious relationships.

"Uh... hi. I'm good." I managed to stutter out.

She gave me a somewhat dubious look. She was a spy, of course I couldn't lie to her.

"Fine, actually not too great."

"What happened? Are you okay?" She asked softly. Great, the last thing I need is her pity. I already have it from all my family and my boss. I guess I'm not leading that 'great' of a life right now, I get it.

"Well, I just got evicted from my apartment today, so I'm currently homeless."

"Oh my gosh. Are you doing okay? Do you need somewhere to stay or do you need a loan?"

I shook my head, "No, no I'm okay for now."

"Where are you going to live?" Audrey asked me.

"I'm actually taking this opportunity to travel a bit. I've taken time off work."

"Where are you going? Anywhere exotic?" Audrey smiled at me.

"Uh... ha no, I doubt it, but I don't know yet." That was actually a lie. I was going to spend this time finding Erica.

"Ben, did you know you have a tell?" Audrey smirked at me.

"A tell?" I asked, very confused, "What's a tell?"

She gave me a somewhat confused look, "You don't know? That is literally espionage 101. You didn't learn it at the um... course you took?"

That "course I took was" spy school but I have no recollection of this at all.

"No, I don't remember. What the hell is a tell?"

"A tell is a feature giveaway when someone is lying. You have a very obvious tell. Your left eyebrow twitches at every lie. You've had it since I've known you." Audrey gave me a sly look.

I felt panicked for a quick second, "Did Erica know this?" The real question is could Erica tell whenever I lied to her about liking her?

"Yeah, probably. It's kinda obvious. So why are you really taking time off? Wait, what are you doing an occupation now?"

"I... uh... work at a private equity firm as their top accountant." I was kind of embarrassed to tell Audrey this, as she has such a cool, badass job.

Audrey whistled through her teeth, "Wow, those corporate jobs pay a lot of dough."

"Yeah I guess," I said, feeling slightly awkward.

"So with all that money, I bet you are going somewhere good."

I decided to tell Audrey the truth. Plus, I need her help finding Erica's house. "I'm actually going to look for Erica, as I have some suspicions about the new congressman, Joshua Duncan. I suspect he's Joshua Hallal."

Audrey barely blinked, "Oh yeah, I know. I'm like 90% sure he is."

I could hardly contain my shock, "What?! You know?! Why didn't you tell anyone?! This can be really dangerous!"

Audrey leaned forward and signaled me to calm down, "Ben! Stop yelling!" she hissed at me, "And I didn't say anything because I basically can't. I work for the government as a full time agent. We aren't supposed to have vocal opinions about our leaders. Plus, do you think you're the first person to notice? He's a politician! Their lives are practically under a microscope."

"But not Joshua's." I pointed out. Normally, when there is someone running against you for a position such as congress, they try to dig up as much dirt on the other as possible. But Joshua had no one running against him, except this lady but she wasn't trying to win, so no one investigated him at all.

"Okay, true, but..." she lowered her voice to a whisper, "We had some intel that said-"

But before she could finish, Aunty Sandy approached their table very suddenly. Audrey jumped back and put her finger to her lips behind Aunty Sandy's back.

"I'm so sorry about this!" The older lady rambled, "But there is this fellow over there who insisted on buying you a crossonint, Audrey. I told him you both were on a date and that it was inappropriate to do so, but did he listen? Oh no ma'am he didn't! So I-." Audrey cut off Aunty Sandy's rambling.

"Again, we're not on a date. But tell the gentleman thank you." Aunty Sandy left and Audrey looked over at the man to give him a nod. Most likely, he was a guy who thought Audrey was attractive and wanted to get attention from her.

But when I looked over, he didn't seem too interested in her. Plus, I saw Audrey narrow her eyes suspiciously at him. He was a middle aged man, around thirty or forty years old. He was not American as he seemed like he was middle eastern. But he gave me a bad feeling in my gut. He didn't seem like a normal guy who found Audrey attractive. This feeling wasn't because of his ethnicity or age though. It was that deadly look he was giving us.

Audrey turned back around to me and pretended to be unaware. But I could see the wariness in her eyes. She was paying very close attention to the mystery man behind her.

"So what I was saying is that the US government employees aren't supposed to have a verbal opinion in leadership. Also, Joshua Hallal hasn't done anything suspicious for the last ten years. We don't have enough time, resources and money to focus on him. Pus, it would look really bad if the US intelligence started investigating a man who looks like he didn't do anything wrong in his life. Sure, it may not be what's best for the country in the long run, but the whole government is about politics. Even if it's what you think is best, you have to consider what the public or other people will think about the decision. And I promise you, once we start investigating this Joshua Duncan, a kind man who is taking over for this small district, the whole US government will look bad. So drop it and forget about it."

"But, Audrey, I-" I started, but she cut me off.

"I said drop it Ben. Nothing you can do about it. Like it or not, you're not part of the government anymore, so you have no authority on this." Her words were harsh, but I could tell how carefully she was picking them. She never outright said she was in the CIA, only the government. I knew what she meant, but anyone who overheard might not catch on. I had a feeling this had to do with the suspicious man still staring right at us.

"Okay," I said, "I'll drop it. I won't bring it up with anyone else."

Audrey smiled at me, but this time it wasn't as genuine, "Thank you." She then leaned forward and gestured for me to as well. We were only inches apart. I felt like she was going to tell me something important, but all I could think of was how good she smelled.

"The man sitting directly behind me," Audrey whispered so quietly I could barely hear her, "I recognize him from Afghanistan when I had a mission there a month ago." I started to pull my head up and look, but Audrey quickly grabbed my arm and yanked me back down.

"Do you want to cause more trouble?" She snarled, "This man works for a terrorist organization that runs human trafficking rings! He's super dangerous. And last I remember, you have the fighting and self defense skills of a mole rat. Now laugh at something I said, like I just told you a secret."

I gave a fake laugh and we both sat up. She kept smiling at me, but when her back was turned to the terrorist, she gave me a glare that said I wasn't doing a believable job. Some things never change.

"I know right?" She said, laughing, pretending to finish her story. But from behind her, I could tell this guy wasn't buying it. As she was laughing, she grabbed my hand. My heart fluttered for a second, only to realize she was secretly slipping me a piece of paper.

But before I could look at it, the terrorist reached into his lap. All I could see what a flash of a gun barrel and I yelled, "Audrey!"

But she was already in motion. She whirled around, while producing a gun she had concealed.

"And I really liked this place," Audrey grumbled as she started shooting at the man. He shot back.

Luckily, there was only one guest besides us and the man, but the baristas were screaming and so was the guest. And I think I was too. I kicked our table on its side so I could have protection from the stream of bullets. The other guest, a girl who looked like she was in college ran behind the counter and crouched with the rest of the employees. Aunty Sandy came out of the kitchen after hearing some bangs and immediately screamed.

"Audrey! What's going on?!" Aunty Sandy shouted.

Audrey ran towards the terrorist, shooting her own gun and dodging his bullets. The man was getting cornered in the corner but kept shooting at her. Luckily, he didn't seem interested in any civilians. Finally, once he was backed into a corner, Audrey whipped her foot up and kicked the man's wrist that was holding the gun. You could hear it break while he screamed. He dropped the gun and Audrey kicked it away from his reached.

"Get on your knees and put your hands on your head!" Audrey snarled while putting the gun right to his head. I have to admit, Audrey is terrifying when she's like this. Her eyes were stone cold and her body posture was threatening.

The man followed Audrey's orders. But as he was on his knees, he suddenly whipped a leg out, catching Audrey by surprise. She fell on the ground and dropped her gun. The man quickly got up and went to grab the gun, but Audrey, still on the ground, kicked it far away again. She got up and kicked him right in the stomach. He groaned and tried to punch her in the side, but wildly missed. She grabbed that arm and held him close as she repeatedly punched him in the face. His nose started to bleed and Audrey released him and he fell to the ground. Towering over him, she kicked him in his side, gut and face. He kept swearing and threatening her, but she was unconcerned, as she had won the fight. She put her foot on his neck and pressed down as he gagged.

I felt as if it was safe to come out from behind the table and Audrey looked over at me, playfully smirking.

"You were super helpful," She joked.

I smiled, "Well, I think I would have gotten in the way." As much as it is great to not almost die every day, I've missed all of this. The action, the adrenaline, the bad guys. It made me miss being a spy even more.

"Get everyone out through the back. I can handle the rest." The man was still struggling under her foot.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah, get everyone out. It was good to see you Ben. Hopefully we'll see each other soon. I've missed you. Also, I am so sorry about the place, Aunty Sandy. Someone will contact you to pay the damages."

Aunty Sandy looked beyond shaken when she emerged from the kitchen, "Um... okay, don't worry about it too much dear. Wow. This makes me wonder what you do for a living even more."

Audrey shrugged with a sly smirk on her face. I rounded everyone up and got them outside to the back alley. Some of them were crying.

"Go home and don't worry about what you saw today." I told them as most of them left for home.

"Shouldn't we call the police?" One of the employees said.

I nodded but said, "I'll do it. I can explain the situation to them better." I know that the CIA has missions that the city police don't know about and to ensure the CIA's secrets are kept, I didn't call anyone. I figured Audrey knew what to do.

Speaking of Audrey, I realized I was still clutching that piece of paper she gave me.

Taking it out, I read it. It was an address for a home in Beverly Hills, California and a note that said: I can't investigate Joshua with the CIA, but you two technically can. Let me know if you need any help. Good luck.

I smiled to myself. I had the address. I was going to find Erica Hale.


	6. Chapter6

Hello! Sorry this took so long. Reminder on OOC: it's been ten years. The characters won't and shouldn't act like themselves in the books. People change a lot in ten years. Next chapter after this is long so I'm thinking of breaking it up.

**E3 ATA: No you don't have to read British Invasion. There might be stuff I mention from the book but not anything important. This is a sequel to Spy School Clash of Spies (which was written before SSBI came out) so you don't. :)**

Please read and review! Enjoy!

JFK Airport, Washington DC

1300 Hours

April 11

I purchased an airplane ticket to the LAX airport. As I was sitting in my seat in row 22 (with all the annoying kids) I contemplated calling Erica again. I should probably let her know that I'm coming. But she blocked and denied my three calls before and I couldn't handle the rejection again. I didn't even know if she was home. But last I checked the tabloids, she went to her local coffee shop yesterday so I assume she was in town.

All throughout the flight, I reviewed the evidence I had on Joshua I had. He obviously stole the identity of Joshua Duncan, but the real question is where is he? The real Joshua Duncan? I was pretty sure he wasn't dead because his name would resurface on a death report. But where was he and did he know Joshua Hallal stole his name?

I'm sure Erica would have ideas if she is still as I remember her. I hadn't really considered the fact she might be really different in the last ten years. I'm still stuck in this fantasy that Erica is just as I remember her and that she's still the same person I knew. But as the plane was landing, I finally let reality sink in. Erica could be really different. Heck, she's a millionaire! If she isn't different, that might be concerning. But I don't want her to be different. I want the same old Erica.

These thoughts were swirling around my head as I landed in Los Angeles. I was a bit jet lagged, but I managed to grab a cab and I gave him her address. I didn't tell him that it was Erica Handler, the famous model, actress and influencer's house however.

When we finally got to her neighborhood, it was really nice. She lived on the small two way street that circled a huge hill. Every a hundred yards or so, there was a gate to a giant mansion. Finally, we finished climbing and got to almost the top of the hill. From here, we could see all of downtown LA.

The cab pulled up to this huge modern gate. All around us were tall green shrubs for all the celebrities' privacy. It made me wonder who lived next to her.

The cab driver looked on in awe at this giant gate. "Who are you visiting?" He asked in astonishment.

"An old friend," I said as I got my small suitcase out. I packed a few things, thinking I could find a hotel if things went well with Erica. Honestly, I didn't really think this through too well.

"Thank you," I said, handing the cab driver money.

"Do you- do you want me to wait to make sure someone answers?" The cab driver asked sheepishly. It was clear he was very curious to see who lived in the mega-mansion.

"No, it's fine." I said, smiling and waving him off. He grumbled and left.

I walked up to the keypad and speaker and pressed the microphone.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Just inside the house, Erica sat at her giant island and was eating a salad. She was flicking through her phone when her new assistant, Scott, entered.

Groaning to herself, she asked him, a bit exasperated, "What is it Scott?"

Scott was her new assistant after her old was awful at his job. Scott was a good assistant and was super organized but he bugged her constantly about the smallest things. Erica was just trying to enjoy her lunch and Scott still found something to bug her about.

"I need verbal confirmation that you're going to the fashion show in two weeks. It should be a easy and fun since your friend Bethany is running it." Scott tapped away on his iPad.

She gave a big sigh, "Yes Scott, I already said I was going."

"Okay, thank you. Oh and by the way, Raymond, the head of security, said someone was at your gate asking to come in. You weren't expecting anyone, right?"

Erica furrowed her eyebrows, looking confused, "Uh... I don't think so." She checked through her texts and email and didn't find anything.

"No I'm not. Ray told him to bug off, right?" Erica told him.

"Yes I'll tell him. Enjoy your lunch. Sorry, I'll stop interrupting you." With that, Scott left.

Erica went back to her salad. A mere minute later, Scott entered again and made a beeline toward her.

"Oh my god what is it Scott?" She cried, exasperated.

"Sorry Erica, it's that guy at the gate. He claims to know you. He insists we tell you about him."

"Scott, they all claim to know me or are somehow related to me. This isn't the first time. Do you think he's press? If they found where I live, I swear to god I'll move. They'll never leave me alone."

Scott shook his head rapidly, "No, doesn't seem like that type. He's like twenty three, average height and brown hair. Seems a bit nerdy too."

"Well then tell this guy to leave me alone or I'll call the cops on him for trespassing." With that, Erica turned away from Scott and tried to finish her salad.

After two minutes, she thought she was finally able to enjoy her lunch but then Scott came back in, looking a bit embarrassed to have to disrupt her again.

"Dammit Scott! What the hell it that you keep having to disrupt me?! I swear if it's that guy again I'll go out there and beat his ass. I'm so sick of this." She snapped at him.

"Calm down, Erica. The guy at the gate gave Raymond a name. He said if you don't recognize it, he'll leave and never bug you again."

"Okay then, what's the name?" She asked impatiently.

Scott looked at a sticky note stuck to his iPad, "Ripley. Ben Ripley."

The blood drained out of Erica's face. She was so shocked she could barely form words. But she managed to say "Let him in."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Finally, the scary security man named Raymond James let me in. The name thing must have worked. Erica must have told him to let me in.

It finally hit me. I was going to see Erica Hale, for the first time in ten years. I was actually going to see her again.


	7. Chapter7

**We have some new comments last chapter so thank you so much!! Your support means so much!! Without further ado, please enjoy!!**

As Raymond accompanied me inside, I tried to test my breath and smell under my armpit until Raymond gave me a weird look. I was actually going to see Erica again. I've been dreaming about this moment for a long time. It was happening. I just hoped I looked acceptable and I smelled good.

Right before we entered the vast doors to her house, I got really nervous. I hoped she still remembered me as well as I did her and she still maybe even liked me. No I can't think like that. I thought. I think she's dating a really hot celebrity. I was getting delirious and stressed out. What do we even have in common now? Her schedule is probably so busy, she doesn't have time to help me with my case! And even if she had time, would she want to? Erica has probably way better things to do. This was a dumb idea!

But before I could dwell on it too much, Raymond lead me past the great foyer and into a big, beautiful living room and kitchen. It was open concept and very white with straight cut lines through. There was a giant, crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, which was three stories high. Floor to ceiling windows were in the walls, showing a gorgeous view of downtown Los Angeles.

But most importantly, sitting at the island of the kitchen, was Erica Hale.

She smiled at me as I gaped at her. She was gorgeous. Erica was wearing light makeup and her dark, raven hair was straightened and down to the middle of her back. She was wearing stylish (and I'm pretty sure designer) clothes and was eating a salad. I suddenly lost all coherent thought and didn't know what to say.

Luckily, the security guard broke the silence, "Miss. Handler, I'll stay here to make sure everything goes smoothly."

Erica turned and smiled at him, "No it's okay, Ray. I trust him. In fact, I want everyone out. I want to talk to Ben in private. And tell Scott, if he needs anything, to wait until I'm done."

"But ma'am, are you-" Raymond was cut off by Erica's light blue eyes piercing into him.

"Of course, ma'am. If you need anything, please let me know." With that, the big man left.

"Uh..." was all I managed to stutter out.

Erica smiled at me, "Hi Ben."

"Wow... um... hi." I felt so awkward. Even though we were standing only a few feet apart from each other, it felt like there were miles between us.

Erica smirked, reminding me of her old self, "That's it? Hi? How about you tell me why you randomly show up unannounced at my house after ten years?" She said this jokingly and lightly.

"I... um... can we talk?" I asked a bit meekly. I didn't want to be this way when I arrived but I couldn't help it. I'd been looking forward to this moment for a long time.

"Yeah, of course. Are you okay? This is so unexpected." She got down from the island and gestured me to sit down on this giant wraparound loveseat/couch thing. It overlooked LA.

I sat down and she sat down a few feet away. It was so awkward. I didn't think we were just magically going to go back to the way it was, but I didn't expect this much distance. It seemed like we were such different people, it was hard to talk. But once we got into conversation, I hope it goes back to the easy conversations we used to have.

"Yeah... I... well I'm doing okay. I tried to let you know I was coming, but you kept denying my calls."

Erica arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow in confusion, "When? Wait were you the unknown number that kept calling me a day or something back?"

"Uh... yes that was me." Internally, I was grinning. She kept her promise! After ten years, after she became a celebrity, she didn't change her number. It renewed hope for me. Hope of what, I wasn't sure. But hope.

Erica pulled out her phone, "So you're that 202 number?"

"Yep," I said.

Erica looked like she was going to say something else, when this young-ish (probably thirty) year old guy walked in. He had blonde hair, blue eyes and a beard. He was really handsome. She turned to look at him.

"Hey Scott," Erica said, smiling.

For a very panicked second, I thought this was her boyfriend. I felt my blood run cold. I was still into Erica. I was still into this fantasy that everything was going to go back to the way it was ten years ago. That she'll like me and I'll like her. I didn't care she was rich and famous. I just loved myself when I was with her. But deep down, I knew that was unrealistic. It was ten years ago. We were both very different people. I was stuck in the past. And it seemed she moved on.

But luckily, Scott stuck his hand out. "Scott Pierceton, Erica's assistant. Pleased to meet you. You must be Ben Ripley."

I shook it, "Yes, I'm Ben-" It suddenly hit me how I wasn't supposed to use my old name. I was Ben Randoph to the rest of the world now. So how did Scott know? Did Erica tell him? Was he a mole for a bad organization?!

"I'm Ben Randoph," I finished, "And the pleasure is all mine."

Scott gave me a confused look, "Ben Randoph? Isn't it Ripley?"

"No!" I said, probably way too quickly, "Why would you think it's Ripley?"

"Because that's what you told Raymond, the security guard who let you in." Scott looked really lost. Erica was looking between us, not uttering a word. Okay, at least he wasn't a double agent. It was my stupidity that tipped him off.

"Uh... yeah... but..." I was breaking into a cold sweat again. I didn't know what to do. I was never the one to come up with excuses on the spot.

"But," Erica interjected loudly, "See, I knew Ben in middle and freshman year of high school. When I first met him, I thought his last name was Ripley instead of Randoph. It's been an inside joke ever since. And he probably knew that's how I would know him, so don't worry about it Scott." See, even after ten years she saves my ass. Snippets of our old life were coming back to us.

Scott nodded in understanding, "Oh, got it. Well I'll leave you two to talk. This was unexpected but you guys seem to need to catch up. Erica, I should cancel everything today right? It was just some meetings you can easily reschedule."

"No you don't have to do that-" I started, feeling bad to uproot her day unexpectedly, but Erica interrupted me.

"Yes, thank you Scott. And will you tell someone to move Ben's luggage?" She turned to me, "Are you expecting to stay in LA for a long time?"

"Well, I have some news for you and if you have time, we might need a few days to investigate it."

"Invesiage it?" Her expression turned wary, "Okay well where were you planning to stay?"

"Uh... you know... a hotel somewhere?' It was clear I did not think the whole plan through.

"Well, that's fine, but you can stay here if you'd like. The house is big enough for many people. There's an entire guest wing of the house. As long as you don't murder me in my sleep." She joked. I considered the offer and wanted to take it because hotels are expensive, especially in LA, but mainly because I want to spend more time with Erica.

"I don't think I would be able to if I tried," I joked back, referring to the murder thing. It was an old inside joke from spy school. Erica smirked.

Erica was definitely different than spy school. She was less high strung and seemed to want and have many friends. She was also joking around a lot, which was a pleasant surprise.

Scott took my bag to the other side of the house, the guest wing.

"So what's the news you wanted to talk about? Does it relate to middle school?" Middle school was code for spy school.

"Um... yes, kinda." I didn't know how much she trusted her entourage, so I kept it very vague.

She looked at me, like she knew what I was saying. I felt my face getting hot again. Damn, she was beautiful. Her piercing blue eyes were the same as they were ten years ago. Erica was even more gorgeous and I felt myself falling for her, even though I didn't know her that well anymore.

"Okay, well let's talk in private. Melissa!" Erica looked over at a woman standing in the kitchen on her phone, "Tell everyone that I'm off for the rest of the afternoon. No one bug me. No one interrupt me unless it's life or death. Text me if anything important comes up."

The women nodded. It was weird that there were a bunch of random people all around the house. Melissa looked like another assistant, there was Scott and multiple housekeeper and gardeners. And those were the only people I saw. It was probably hard to get a moment alone, but if you have the money to afford all these people, then why not.

Erica stood up and motioned me to stand up as well. I did and I followed her to one of her many house's wings. It was a long, tall hallway with beautiful white doors on both sides. She went up to a door and opened it. I was expecting a grand room, but it was a storage closet.

For a small, fleeting moment, I thought we were going to do the stereotypical high school makeout in a closet, but she just lead me to the back of the closet.

"Erica, what are we-"

She cut me off with a vague "You'll see."

On the wall, there was a thermostat. It reminded me of the one Audrey and I used ten years ago when we saved the United Nations. A lot of things remind me of the old spy school days.

Erica approached the thermostat, but instead of turning the temperature up or down, she was tapping on the little screen in the middle.

Suddenly, I heard a grinding sound and the entire back wall pushed out, revealing a staircase leading down. It was just like a spy movie! Finally, something stereotypical about spies!

I let out a giant gasp.

Erica shot me a look, "Keep it down. No one knows this exists."

I could only nod, because I was completely in awe.

She started stepping down the staircase and I was close to follow. I heard the grinding sound again and the wall went back into place. The staircase was modern and well lit, with polished wooden stairs and white walls. After awhile, we were let off into a small room with giant glass doors looking out into a warehouse looking thing. It was epic! I couldn't believe this was in Erica's house! I could sort of believe it though, since her life was hectic and she probably wants time alone. She has the money too anyway. And she has so many secrets, not much surprises me anymore.

On the other side of the area, next to the warehouse was a separate building. Inside, it looked like it had a kitchen and table and bedrooms. It was like a fully functioning house down here.

But it made even more sense to what was in the vast warehouse type thing. In the corner closest to us, there was an entire gym set, complete with weights and treadmills and everything in between. Sharing that side of the room, there were mats and dummies, assumingly to practice self defense. There were also all different sorts of punching bags.

What was the most shocking was the other half of the warehouse. Along the far wall, there were targets and bullseyes. On racks and hanging on the walls, there were all different sorts of weapons. Guns of every variety, arrows and many different weapons I didn't even recognize. It gave me a wave of de sha vu. It reminded me too much of spy school.

And this is Erica I know and love. The badass spy who can take down twenty men by herself. The one who can shoot through the same bullet hole in the bullseye. The Erica who can use any weapon. Spy Erica.

She noticed me looking all over in shock.

"You like it?" She asked me.

"Uh huh," I said shakily, still awestruck. It was amazing.

"Yeah I built it when I moved in. I was still fresh from spy school and missed this. Plus, after what my life has turned into, I need peace and quiet sometimes. And I needed to stay in shape and trained." She walked over to the gun rack, grabbed a handgun and shot it right dead center into the target over fifty yards away. She hasn't lost her touch.

I was expected to be deafened by the gunshot in an enclosed space, but I actually wasn't. In fact, it was quieter than at spy school.

"Cool right?" Erica said as she noticed my confusion, "The walls and ceiling are made of a material that actually absorbs the sound. Also, this entire place is soundproof, so no one else can even hear it."

"So Scott doesn't know about it? Or Melissa? Raymond?" I asked, rambling names I heard her say. But I would imagine it would be hard to hide this from people, especially people who work for you and need your approval of everything.

Erica shook her head. Her raven hair floated through the air, "Nope. Only Audrey, well, she helped install the place, my dad and mom and some really close friends. Oh and I guess you too."

She paused for a moment.

"You know who else knows? Zoe, from spy school. She was one of the first people who saw it."

I could barely contain my surprise. Zoe and Erica hung out after spy school? And without me? For some reason, that stung.

"What? When?" I sputtered out.

"When I first moved in, so like three years ago? She was coming to LA from where she lives in Illinois and she reached out to me." Three years ago? That was a few years after I stopped talking to them. I was hurt I didn't get an invite, but I don't know why. I wasn't anywhere near LA and Zoe and I stopped talking long before that. But I know in my heart I would have dropped everything to come.

Erica continued, "Well, she couldn't get ahold of me so she went to my manager. We grabbed a coffee and I showed her this. She gave me some great feedback on it too. Speaking of which, have you talked to her in the last few years? Any of them since spy school?"

"Well, I went to school with Mike until he got recruited to the Red Sox, but we drifted apart in the last few years of high school. I spoke to Zoe on Instagram a little bit, but not in a long time. I completely lost contact with Chip, Jawa, Audrey..." I paused, "And you."

Erica raised her eyebrow, "I gave you my number when we left. You never even reached out to me. I thought you were over Spy School. That you wanted to move on and forget what happened. Well I can clearly see that that's not the case."

"What do you mean?" I demanded, coming out harsher than I intended.

She looked a little surprised at my sudden outburst, "All I'm saying is you seem caught up in the past. I can tell. Your eyes completely lit up when I showed you this area. It seems like you want life to go back to the way it used to be, back at spy school. You looked disappointed at my lifestyle now. Ben, it's been ten years. By coming here won't change the fact that we can never go back to our life as teenagers."

Her words hit me like a bullet. I've barely been here a half an hour and Erica already seemed to figure me out. It was the harsh reality I've been avoiding. It hurt to see everyone else living their best life, and then there was me. Unhappy. Back then, I was cool. I defeated SPYDER! But all that means nothing now. Heck, I have to pretend it didn't even happen. It's true. I wanted my old life back.

"I know that. And you're right; I'm stuck in the past. But life hasn't been so great since spy school. It seems like everyone else is living their best life while I'm not. At all. I mean, Chip is an action star, Jawa's going to the Olympics, Mike's a star baseball player and Zoe is happy with a family. And you... well, you're a millionaire."

"That doesn't mean everyone is happy, Ben. Fame and riches doesn't mean someone's content with life. That's one thing I've learned from Hollywood. Have you spoke with Mike? Does he seem happy?"

I shook my head. I haven't spoken to Mike in so long.

"Does Mike seem happy now? Last I saw, he's a playboy baseball player, although good, he's potentially ruining his baseball career with drugs and drinking. Yeah, he might be rich and famous, but that doesn't mean he's happy." Erica looked at me.

I considered what she was saying. It was true. Mike was getting into trouble these days with DUI's, MLB fines, and is starting to get an awful reputation. I guess Mike wasn't too happy, maybe. But at least he's doing what he's loved to do since he was five. I like math, but being an accountant is so dull.

"I guess not. But still, I'm living worse probably."

"Well what have you been up to these last few years?" Erica asked.

"Well, Mike and I went back to our local high school. We kind of fell back into our old routine, but everything was different. It was just... weird. We couldn't talk about the school so we didn't have anything to talk about. We ended up drifting apart, especially towards junior and senior year. He was super popular, and I was that math nerd. I really had no friends. Mike got scouted by the Red Sox senior year, so he skipped college to go play for them. I got into Columbia and after that, got the job I have now as an accountant at a private equity firm." As I was talking, I could see sympathy and pity on her features. Yet another person who feels bad for my sad life.

I kept talking though, "But as I was watching the news, I noticed something strange that led me to research it extensively. That's why I'm here. I wanted to run it by you. But I didn't know if I should. Then I got evicted from my apartment and that was the sign I needed. So to get here, I called your father who connected me to your sister in order to find you. You keep your life very secret."

"You talked to my dad and sister?" She sounded excited. I was worried she'd think that was creepy.

"Yeah, I even had lunch with Audrey yesterday."

"How are they?" It seemed that Erica doesn't get to talk to them much, "Wait you had lunch with Audrey?"

"Yes, some guy attacked her while I with her!" I guess I forget to mention that in all the excitement.

Erica looked shocked, "And why didn't you lead with that?! Is she okay?!"

"Oh don't worry; she beat his ass." But Erica wasn't listening to me anymore, she was on her phone.

Erica pointed to her screen, "Oops, yeah I found a text from Audrey sent yesterday: 'Saw Ben from school today. We went for a coffee. Some guy from an Afghanistan trip attacked me. He's being interrogated and is in custody now. Gave Ben your address. He has some information. But be careful with him, he seems to be in pretty bad physical and mental health right now.'" Erica trailed off as she read the last part.

But I was hurt. I thought I looked good for Audrey! I was wearing my nice shirt! What does she mean that I look like I'm in bad physical and mental health?! How can she even tell?

"What does she mean by that?!" I snapped at Erica.

Erica looked uncomfortable at answering that, "Well... Ben... have you looked in the mirror recently? I mean, I know you look really different since the last time I saw you but... you have dark circles under your eyes, your hair is greasy and messy, your clothes are dirty and you get angrier easily since ten years ago."

I was shocked and offended! Who is Erica to judge what I look like or how my personal hygiene is?! And just because she was a former really good spy, doesn't mean she can go around pointing out all my flaws!

"Excuse me?! Is that any of your business how I keep myself?! Who are you to judge, miss millionaire?! God you've become so rude!" I completely lost my temper. It really hurt coming from the Hales.

She looked unaffected by my words and just gave me a pointed look.

"Oh, okay, I'm sorry, point taken." I realized that I was proving her point exactly.

Erica exhaled, "I didn't mean to say that in a rude way, but I'm concerned for you. You really look like you're not taking care of yourself."

"Okay, well, it's none of your business." I was getting super agitated.

Erica held up her hands in surrender, "Alright I'll drop it." Her voice was a bit bitter.

I sighed. This was not how I wanted our first meeting back to go.

"Erica, I'm sorry. I was just evicted from my house yesterday so I'm a little more stressed than usual. I'm taking my anger out on you and that isn't fair. I'm sorry."

Her gaze instantly softened, "It's okay, Ben. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. But about being evicted, I'm so sorry. What happened?"

"My stupid landlord is a jerk and evicted me because everyone else in the complex loves to have raging parties and I complain about the noise constantly." I grinded my teeth just thinking about it.

"That's not fair. Are you going to sue?"

"No, I'm thinking of it like a blessing in disguise. Now I can come here and tell you about my thoughts."

"Oh right," Erica didn't sound as excited as I thought she'd be.

But I explained it all. How I thought Joshua Duncan was actually Joshua Hallal and how I thought he did something shady to get to his position. Erica listened thoughtfully through all of this and even imputed some great ideas and theories. It reminded me of old times. And it was the happiest I've been in a long time.

"So what do you think? Do you want to explore and investigate this with me?" I asked, already anticipating the trip together we would have to take.

But the response threw me off.

Erica looked very apprehensive about answering, "I would love to, Ben, but I don't think it'll work out. I'm sorry, I can't do it."


	8. Chapter8

**Sorry I'm a day late. It slipped my mind :) Thank you for all the lovely comments and reviews! And happy (early) birthday AgentGreasy!! Please enjoy this chapter!! **

The response completely threw me off.

"What do you mean? Why can't you?" I asked, a bit salty.

"Ben, be realistic. I have a job, a lifestyle and I think you forgot the fact that I have papperizi following me whenever I step outside. I can't just drop everything for speculation. And this isn't our obligation anymore. We don't do this kind of stuff, we aren't supposed to."

"But we should! We should, as good citizens of the United States, do this for our country!" I protested.

"We're not supposed to get in the way of the FBI, CIA or the US intelligence. It's not our job or responsibility anymore. If anything, tell Audrey. She's still in the CIA."

"I told her and she said she couldn't do anything about it. Something about politics. I didn't understand, but Erica, this is real! Joshua is evil and he's becoming a congressman!"

"Was," Erica corrected, "Joshua was evil. We don't know if he still is. For all we know he could be trying to move on in life with a new name, and put SPYDER in the past."

For some reason, that pissed me off the most. Erica hated Joshua for betraying her all those years ago. The only thing, if all else fails, we have in common is the fact we hated Joshua and the enemy organizations. Is Erica seriously saying she doesn't know they're evil?!

So it sent me over the edge, "Your making all these dumb excuses because you don't want to go!" I screamed, completely losing control, "You can't leave your posh little lifestyle with all your designer dresses and millions of dollars house and your private chef! All this BS. Don't you miss the life of espionage? The adrenaline? Beating up bad guys? Don't you wish for a second that you were a spy? How could you possibly move on? You were the best spy I knew!"

Erica let out a big sigh, "Of course I miss it Ben. Being a spy was all I knew for sixteen years! But after I decided to move on, I left that all in the past. I have a different lifestyle now. I can't just run away like you want me to. I'm sorry."

"You know what?! Fine! You want to stay here and let your butlers cater to your every whim, that's fine with me! You want to let a possible terrorist to get away, whatever! That's your problem!" I was completely seething. I stomped out of the common area and back out to the firing range. I was planning to leave dramatically but I then realized that I had to get Erica to open the secret door for me. So I sulkily waited at the bottom of the stairs.

Erica saw me waiting and smirked at me. She got up from the couch and breezed past me and opened the secret door. We didn't say anything to each other as we left the closet. Together we walked to the kitchen main area without saying a word. Scott noticed us come in and could tell something was off, but he politely didn't say anything.

"Scott, show Ben to the guest wing please. I'm going on my conference call I was going to reschedule so ring me if you need anything." She didn't even acknowledge me.

Scott looked sort of confused and uncomfortable but didn't say anything about our behavior.

"Alright, so let's get you settled in. I'll show you your wing." Scott led me to my wing (which was bigger than my entire apartment) and showed me around the mansion.

The house was centered around this beautiful living/kitchen/dining area which was all open concept. The living area was almost four stories tall and was super modern. Branching out of the living area was a bunch of wings. There was Erica's wing, two guest wings, an entertainment wing (with an arcade, movie theater and other fun stuff) and a housecleaning wing (with a service kitchen, many closets, rooms for house cleaners or helpers and oh right, a secret staircase to an underground bunker) and even two wings I didn't even know what they were. This is not including the "basement" with floor to ceiling sliding glass doors to an amazing deck with an infinity pool. It had a bowling alley, huge open bar and a great space for parties. Oh and don't forget about the helicopter pad on the roof. You know, your average house.

We concluded our tour back in the kitchen.

Scott leaned against the island, "Okay, well, that's the house. If you need anything, please let me know. Or ask anyone here, they all know this place in and out." Not in and out. I thought. They clearly didn't know about the underground bunker.

"Okay thank you so much. If you don't mind me asking, what do you do for Erica? I'm just curious." I was just getting a taste of the Hollywood life and I realized there's an entire staff behind one person.

Scott smiled kindly, "No I don't mind at all. I'm Erica's manager and assistant, along with Melissa. I manage her schedule, public appearances, though she likes to do her own approvals for that kinda stuff, but almost everyone goes through me. But I mostly manage the calendar, meetings and everything less important that I don't want Erica to have to deal with. I also try to do damage control for the press and tabloids but that's almost impossible. Once she bailed on this party for some singer because she was sick and the next day the news was saying they were dating and then have a big fight. It was ridiculous. And a major headache. I just try to help her with everything she needs. How do you know Erica?"

"We went to middle school together in Washington DC. We were really good friends and when she moved to New York, I never talked to her or saw her again. And now I figured was the best time to reconnect with old friends, especially Erica. I got evicted from my apartment. She and I were great friends and I wanted to see her again." I kept it vague again.

"Just friends?" Scott asked playfully, "Not anything more?"

I felt a blush creep up my neck. I didn't know what to say. But that was all Scott needed to see and he laughed.

"I'm just messing with you. Are you hungry? I was just going to call Maria to make me some lunch. Wanna join me?"

I felt weird that my food was going to be prepared by a chef. I was perfectly capable of making myself a sandwich. This felt too posh for me.

"I am hungry, but I can prepare my own food, I don't need someone to do it for me. Thank you though." I said, trying to be polite.

Scott waved his hand dismissively at me, but was focusing on his iPad, "Too late. I already rang for Maria. Don't worry about seeming spoiled or whatever. And that's Maria's job anyway. Plus she's super sweet and would probably love to make you something."

Before I could protest, an older italian lady came into the living/kitchen area from the service wing. Her eyes completely lit up when she saw me, even though we had never met before.

"My, my, who is this?" She beamed brightly and approached me, "I didn't know we had company!" She immediately gave off this kind, homey, grandma feel to her. Her positivity was infectious.

Scott chuckled, "Maria, this is Ben, a childhood friend of Erica's. Ben, this is Erica's personal chef, Maria Rossi."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Rossi." I stuck my hand out to shake but she bypassed this and went straight into the hug. I can't say I was unhappy about it.

"Oh please! Call me Maria!"

I smiled, "And thank you for coming to make us something. I can prepare my own lunch, it's totally fine."

Maria headed into the kitchen and started to get pots out, "Nonsense. I should thank you, it gets so boring without anything to do! So what are you hungry for?"

"A chicken caesar salad would be wonderful. I have a call in a half an hour with potential partners." Scott replied.

"I'm good with anything." I said.

"Alright Scott, I'll whip that up real quick. And Ben, how about some fresh pasta? It might take an hour but it'll be worth it! I still use my grandmama's recipe!"

Scott nodded, "You should do it. Best pasta ever. And thank you Maria." With that, Scott sat down at the large island and kept tapping away at the iPad.

"Sounds good, thank you so much! I've never had fresh pasta before either, only the hard pasta, so this is exciting!" The look Maria gave me the moment I said I've never had fresh pasta was surprising. She was giving me a look like I'd murdered someone.

"You, you've never had fresh, handmade pasta?!" Maria was shocked, "Well now I'm going to teach you!"

And that she did. It was really fun actually. She taught me to knead the dough and roll it out. We had a fun time and I forgot about my problems for a few hours.

But after I ate the wonderful pasta, the best pasta I'd ever had by the way, Maria had to go home and pick up her son from school. So I was back to doing nothing. I know Erica is done with her business call because she came out an hour ago and smiled at us, not saying anything. She was just grabbing a granola bar I think.

I had no idea what to do. Although this house had a bunch of cool stuff, like a bowling alley and movie theater, I felt awkward doing any of it. Erica owned all of this and I felt weird using it while we were at a difficult place. So I just went to my room.

It was a beautiful room with a view of downtown LA and a bathroom bigger than the living room at my apartment. Scott kindly put all my stuff in the closet and hung up my jacket. I decided just to hide in here until... Well, I don't know. I realized that I didn't have a reason to be here anymore. I told Erica my plan, she shut it down, I screamed at her in her own house and we both left the bunker. There was no reason to stay here anymore. Wow. That hurts. I came all the way to LA just to go back home. Back to my mediocre house and mediocre job and mediocre life.

I decided to go to the living room and grab my phone I left on the counter when I first walked in. I went back to the living room and saw Scott on his iPad, of course. I went to the counter but my phone wasn't there. Thinking that was weird, I spoke up:

"Hey, Scott. Sorry to bug you, man, but have you seen my phone?" I asked him.

His face flushed red in panic for a second. He quickly recovered though. That was odd. Maybe he was worried he'd get in trouble with Erica if he lost it.

"I have no idea. Why?"

"I need to book a flight home. And I put it on the counter," I frowned. I specifically remember doing that.

Scott looked confused, "Maybe our house cleaner Stephane moved it. I would check your room. But about the flight, I can arrange that. I would be happy to do something else than this work. So you're not staying the night anymore?"

I shook my head, "Probably not." I liked how Scott didn't pry.

"Alright, I'll get that all sorted out for you. Hopefully you find your phone!" With that, Scott went back to the iPad.

I went back to my room and looked through my stuff. Sure enough, my phone was in my jacket pocket. And for the next few hours, to avoid any awkward confrontation, I watched movies on my phone. Weirdly enough, the random movie I picked off Netflix had Erica Handler in it.

A few hours later I heard a knock at my door.

"Come in!" I thought it was Scott with my flight information, but it was Erica.

I had mixed emotions seeing her here but she came in and sat at the desk.

"Look before you say anything, I would like to say that I'm sorry. I prioritized work over everything else, including our friendship, which was unfair, and so I would like to say that I want to restart. And I also want to tell you that that conference call I was on cleared my entire schedule for the next two weeks. I'm going with you , Ben. This Joshua thing is real and terrifying. I also miss the entire world of espionage. It would be good to let off some steam and beat up some bad guys. Plus, I can have free time and not worry about the responsibilities I have now. I'm free for the next few weeks. I want to join you on your adventure. But more importantly, I want to spend more time with you. I've missed you Ben." Erica looked at me with a kind smile that made me forgive her for everything.

I was going to interject with my own apology, but she cut me off.

"But if we're going to get Joshua and catch him, we need a team. Let's get the spy school kids back together!" Erica grinned.

I could only grin back.


	9. Chapter9

**Sorry this is so late. Without further ado, please Enjoy!! :)**

"What's first?" I asked excitedly. We were finally back in the spy game! I can relive my glory days!

Erica laid down lazily. "I think we should assemble the old spy school team if we can. Zoe, Mike, Jawa and maybe even Chip. I've missed them all. Honestly Ben," Erica looked me in the eye, "I've missed this espionage thing way too much. I'm glad we're doing this and that you convinced me to do it."

I smiled back at her. I was on top of the world. This is what I wanted the entire time.

"Well I know that Zoe is in Illinois. She told me when she came to visit. Mike-" Erica was cut off by my door opening.

We both turned to see Scott standing in the door, looking embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know I was intruding on something. Ben, I have your information for your flight. But if you want to cancel..."

"Yes please." I told him happily, "Please cancel my flight. I'm going to stay here a bit longer."

Erica smirked and Scott smiled.

"I'm glad you guys worked it out," Scott said, "I'm going to let you guys be now."

"Hold on!" Erica called just as Scott was about to leave. He turned back to us.

"Scott, I have to be honest. Don't freak out about what I'm going to say." Erica's words freaked me out. Was she really going to tell him about her former spy background?!

"I met Ben in middle school and there is going to be a huge middle school reunion. I know my schedule is packed for the next three months, but I really want to go. Ben just convinced me to make an effort to go. I think it would be good for me to step away from all this for a few days, or however long it takes."

Scott's mouth opened, closed and opened again. "What... wait what now? You're going to leave? Erica, you have to see this from my perspective. Do you know how bad it would look if I canceled these things?! You'd miss a Kardashian party, a fashion show and even a hospital visit! Your public relations is going to be awful! Zandra even started making a dress for the show! What am I supposed to do?!"

Scott was super stressed out. His voice was getting higher and higher per sentence. I could tell his mind was racing a mile a minute.

Erica gestured to calm down. She stood up and put a calming hand on his shoulder. It did absolutely nothing to calm his nerves.

"Scott, dude, you got to calm down. It's going to be okay. I didn't even want to go to the Kardashian party. This is a perfect excuse. The fashion show will be fine. I can personally call Zandra and tell her to just keep the dress until the premiere next month. It'll be fine. And I'll reschedule the hospital visit. About PR, just spin a story to the tabloids that makes me look good. I don't know, the public likes it when celebrities look like real people, so they can relate. But I don't really care what the press says. But the most important thing is to not tell the press where I'm going to be. I want this reunion to be a calm and regular event."

Scott just looked stressed out. I was impressed how Erica told Scott all the details we need him to know without actually telling him what we're doing. And it was super smart how she told him not to tell anyone about the reunion, because it doesn't officially exist.

"Um... okay. Okay. You know what, it's fine. It's all good. It's going to be okay." As Scott gave himself a pep talk, he left the room. Erica shut the door behind him.

"Alright, well we should get going soon. No time to waste. I'll pack and be ready in about two hours. You figure out our route to get everyone together. Let's try to end up in Washington DC. See you later." With that, Erica left the room.

I got on my phone to try to figure out how we're getting everywhere. I knew that Chip lived here in LA, so I figured we could just drive to see him and see if he's interested. Next, I figured we should fine Jawa. I checked his Instagram (with over a million followers) and saw on his story that he was in LA as well, doing press for the olympics. I figured we could see them together on a LA trip. After that, we'd need to fly. I found two tickets to Illinois tomorrow at 6pm. I figured that it would be the right amount of time.

I knew that Erica had a private plane, but we wanted to stay on the down low so I figured we could fly on a regular airline on an economy flight.

From Illinois, the only flight we could get to Boston was two days later. That means we'd have to stay in a hotel or even with Zoe (depending how the meeting goes) for two nights aka one full day.

Then finally from Boston we could drive to Washington DC. It wasn't too far, not impossibly far, so it might just be easier to drive. We would get to DC in five days at the latest.

I wrote down all the information on a piece of paper and re-packed my bags. I also considered the sacrifice that Erica was making for me and this theory. She has so much to lose these days. Her job, endorsements, everything. I had nothing at all to lose, ya know, since I'm homeless.

But I could tell this lifestyle could really take a physical and emotional toll on someone. Your life is examined by practically everyone. You live in a fishbowl. I could see how Erica wants to escape the craziness and enjoy herself anonymously. I could see how she would need a break.

I left my room with all my stuff and met Erica at the front door. Scott came running in.

"Okay, where should I tell the pilot to go? Also, I can all Hector, the driver, and he can come in the next fifteen minutes. Hurry because the pilot needs to be cleared for takeoff." Scott spoke really fast.

"We're actually going to be traveling off the grid and privately. So I'll drive and we can take economy and regular flights. We don't need Hector or John. I want to travel as normally as possible."

Scott sputtered at Erica's words, "Off the grid?! Are you out of your mind?! What about a security staff? What if you get bombarded?! Erica you're successful enough to not need to fly normally!"

"I want to though. Ben and I are going to the garage. See you in a few days or weeks, Scott. If anything is SUPER important, text me, but other than that, leave me alone. Your job while I'm gone is to make sure I don't get bothered over my vacation. Thank you, see you later."

Without waiting for a reply, Erica turned and I followed her. We went down this elevator and got to the garage. It was a modern, white garage with huge garage doors. Down there, there was every car imaginable. There were sports cars, such as a convertible Lamborghini and Maseratis. There was also a jeep, ATV and a town car. Erica decided we should take a "modest" Mercedes.

We put our bags in the back and Erica climbed in the front seat. I took shotgun.

"Ready?" She asked, grinning as she opened the big door.

"Ready," I said. And I was.


	10. Chapter10

**Thank you for the amazing support. You guys are the best!!**

Chip's house was only about 20 minutes away but with LA traffic it ended up being almost an hour. We made casual conversation about the weather or whatever but I could tell we both wanted to hear about each other and what's been going on but we weren't saying it.

Finally I decided to make the first move, something I don't, but should do more often.

"So Erica, tell me the truth about what happened after you left spy school. Not the Wikipedia version, the real version."

She looked at me briefly, then returned her eyes to the road. I could tell she knew I was going to ask, but she seemed hesitant to tell me. Erica did it anyway though.

"Well after I decided to leave spy school and the CIA for good, people freaked out. You did, Zoe did, Mike did, the principal did and even the director of the CIA freaked out. He had me on some track to become a field agent within a year. Hell, the director got the president of the United States to beg me to stay. But I still didn't stay. I wanted to-" I quickly cut Erica off.

"You said no to the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES?! Um… what?!" I was completely shocked. If the president even came up to me again, I'd freak out. Last time I was with him was stressed to the max. Also some guy was trying to kill him and I was supposed to figure it out… huh maybe that's why I was stressed. Oh how I've missed the spy life.

She shot me a slightly annoyed glance for cutting her off as she continued, "I did. Will you let me finish now? So anyway I decided to go to the high school near our house in New York. My dad was going to move in with me for the time being as my mom was busy with the MI6 at the time. My dad wasn't worried though if he had to go on a mission. He knew I was completely capable by myself. Anyway, so we moved to New York. I was a sophomore by public school standards so I started there. Public school, by the way, is awful. I can see why you and Mike were always complaining about it. The teachers suck, the campus sucks and the food, although better than Spy School, is disgusting. And school was so easy! All my classes were a piece of cake. I got moved up to the point where I was doing senior level math and acing it. You could have done it with your eyes closed, I swear. It was so easy, therefore I never worked. I didn't study or lift a finger that semester. That made me popular because I was 'that kid' that never studied yet got all A's. I was also pretty to many people so my popularity rose to being one of the most popular people at school. Kids always asked me about my time before they met me and I've always kept it very vague.

So in the third semester, I was just walking in Central Park and this guy comes running at me. His name was Ross and said he was a modeling agent for a big company. I did the shoot, got paid a lot and soon my photoshoots and their companies got super popular because everyone loved it and whatever. And now I'm here."

I nodded and soaked all the information in. After a second of processing her story, it occurred to me that it was basically the same thing on the internet. That's fine but I had a feeling she was hiding something. What's on the internet is rarely the truth.

So I tried to ask her some follow up questions about her story, like what kind of photoshoots she did or if she had dated someone during that time.

Some questions she answered thoughtfully and truthfully but some were very weird. I asked her a question and she gave me a well-thought out answer but when the spiel was over, I realized, without noticing before, she never answered the question. Erica did this on online interviews as well. She would only answer the questions she wanted to and if she didn't like them, she'd redirect the answer so well that the interviewers didn't know she was doing it until the question was over and their question wasn't answered.

I understand why she would want to do that with way-too-noisy interviewers but I had no idea why she was doing it to me, unless she was hiding something. She knew we were friends so why was she hiding anything and what was it?

Erica interrupted my thoughts with her question about me. "How's your life been back in Washington DC?"

I debated how much I wanted to tell her. I mean how lame would that be if I told her the truth: High school sucked, I went to Columbia and was anti-social the entire time, I lost my apartment, I have a boring 5-9 job, I am constantly lonely, I don't have many friends, I've never had a girlfriend after college, and I miss espionage far too much. When I was a spy, I felt like I really belonged in the world.

So I told her the less depressing version of my story, "Well after spy school Mike and I went to our old town and went to that local high school. High school was academically easy for me but it was kinda socially difficult. After Mike became the star baseball player, he kinda ditched me and I didn't really have or know anyone else. But I graduated with a 4.5 GPA and I went to Columbia, which got me an internship then job at this private equity firm. It pays fairly well and the people are nice. I used to live in this apartment in DC but I just got kicked out. Now, I guess I'm homeless. But I have investments so I should be okay for a while."

"Wow, Ben, I'm sorry to hear you had to go through all of that. I wish I would have called or something. But I'm glad we're both here now to catch up and hopefully solve this Joshua thing." I really appreciated Erica's words. I was glad I am here now too.

After that, the drive remained quiet, save for the soft music from the radio in the background. Finally, Erica turned off the freeway traffic onto an on ramp. It was very hot compared to Washington DC.

"Can you turn on the A/C?" I asked her.

"Sure," she said as she pushed the button. It was still taking a long time for the car to cool down so I started to roll down my window.

Almost immediately, it was rolling right back up. Confused, I rolled it back down again but I still went right back up.

"Stop," Erica said, glancing at me. I noticed that she had her hand on all of the window controls on the drivers side. Erica was the one who kept rolling it back up. She then clicked on the child lock. I was more than mildly annoyed.

"What was that for?" I said, very passive aggressively.

"You don't need the window down," was all she said.

"It's hot." I snapped.

"Yeah, I just turned the A/C on. It should cool the car down very soon. And I don't want the air to get out." Erica continued driving. I was annoyed but her logic made some sense.

She turned on a street and I saw paparazzi lining the street, looking for anyone. We were in another rich part of Northern Hollywood and those people were ready for some celebrity, just like Erica.

Erica muttered a curse under her breath and made a dramatic u-turn.

"See why you can't roll your window down?" She said, in a light maner.

Realization dawned on me, "Wait you didn't want me to roll the window down so that the paparazzi didn't see you?"

She gave me a slightly embarrassed look, "Yeah but I mainly didn't want them to see you, especially us together."

I got really annoyed, "And that would be so bad?!"

"Yes!" She exclaimed, "It would be awful. The press would have a field day! People would stalk you and I'd give Scott an even bigger headache. No never. It would be awful for anyone to see us together. We need to be careful these next few days."

"Or it would ruin your image?" I accused.

"No- what?" She sighed, "God, no, Ben, I'm not saying that. I'm trying to think about you. And the paparazzi will spin some crazy story that's so false, your head would spin."

"No, I get it," I said, very salty. "I understand very clearly."

Erica opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but closed it again. We drove in silence until we reached a very rich street with huge gates and giant mansions. Unlike Erica's private, secluded street with tall shrubs, these mansions were in full view of the street, clearly showing off the massive homes. Erica turned off into a huge, modern mansion with a long driveway and sports cars displayed in front of the house.

We reached the gate where there was a security guard waiting.

"Did you tell him we were coming?" I asked as Erica rolled the window down to talk with the guard.

"I told him I was coming, but I figured you could be a surprise." She rolled the window down and had a quick conversation with the guard who finally let us in.

After driving up the long driveway and parking in front, we rang the doorbell. A handsome man about twenty four years old answered. Chip.

He was super handsome. I can see why he has dozens of Instagram fan accounts, Wiki pages, and over 20 million Instagram followers. He is known as the heartthrob of Hollywood; young, cute, ripped, kind and very good looking. He's always in some type of rom-com and he's the guy. Chip is really blowing up in the box office right now.

His eyes went wide and his mouth opened in shock of seeing me.

"Holy crap," he said, "Is that Ben Ripley?"

I gave a weak laugh, "Yeah."

"Oh my god," he said, giving me a bro hug, "What's up? I haven't seen you in, what is it, ten years?"

"I think so," I responded. Erica was just standing there.

"And Miss. Handler, good to see you as always." Chip grinned at Erica but she gave him a cold look back. That was familiar.

"There are no cameras around, Chip. I don't have to pretend I like you."

Chip smirked, unaffected, "She still has some grudge from Spy School. She never liked me, even now." He spoke directly to me. I chuckled.

"Well, alright then. Come on in. I knew something was off when I heard Erica was coming, but wow this is a shock. What's the occasion?"

Chip led us through his house. We entered a little foyer and to the left was a giant, modern kitchen. Past that was a gas fireplace that lead to the living room. It was very beautiful. Unlike Erica's house, it seemed empty, save for us, for the time being.

We all sat down on the couch.  
"Want anything to eat or drink?" He asked. We both politely declined. It seemed like Chip did change and for the better. He seems kinder, more caring and more mature than the last time I saw him.

"So what are you doing in this neck of the woods? Miss us?" Chip jokes. I nodded. I actually did miss him and everyone else and that was the main reason I came down here.

"Yeah, I missed everyone and I wanted to reconnect with people I haven't seen in a while. Plus, I have information about something that will bring up an old enemy from spy school." I told him.

Chip's eyes lit up and he whistled, "Of course you did, Ben. Those bad guys keep coming. So what is it?"

I explained what I had found out and Erica imputed her own information too when necessary. Finally, we explained it all to him and I asked, "So can you join us? We're looking to get the old spy school gang back together for this."

"Really? No way." Chip didn't seem very excited but was quite interested.

"Yeah, so are you in?" I didn't know what I was expecting. I was a long shot, maybe, but it would be great if he could. It wouldn't hurt to ask. I wished the entire group would get back together.

"Uh…" he looked at us awkwardly. I could tell Erica already knew what the answer was but I was holding onto hope that he could.

"Well… I can't. I'm so sorry, I wish I could. But we started shooting a new movie this week and I can't miss it. It's a big opportunity to work with an amazing director and my schedule just won't permit it. Erica, I'm surprised you had time to." Chip looked really sorry, but that could just be acting. I was disappointed. I knew it was a long shot, but it still hurt to be rejected.

"I made time," she said cooly.

"I'm glad you could," he said, "Oh Erica, by the way, the production company wanted you to be my co-star on this movie but I tried literally everything I could to get you off the movie. I knew you'd say no anyway and that would be super awkward for both of us. So I convinced them not to ask you."

Erica gave him a curt nod, "Thank you." I could clearly see the relief in her eyes.

"Guys, I'm so sorry. I hope you are the best on the thing with Joshua and potentially SPYDER. Let me know if you need anything. And I'm so sorry, I gotta kick you out because I have a meeting here in ten minutes." Very quickly, he led us to the door.

"Uh," My brain wasn't working properly as this was all happening so fast, "It was good to see you Chip."

He gave me another bro hug, "Good to see you too, man. Let's catch up after you're done with this and we actually have time. I've missed you. Bye Erica!" He called.

"Bye." She said simply as she got back into her car. I climbed into the passenger seat.

"That was a bust," Erica said as she drove down his long driveway.

"I guess so," I said, sort of sadly. I kinda wish Chip could have come. I missed him.

"Off to find Jawa."


	11. Chapter11

**AHHHHH!!! I'm so sorry this is so late. School is just really stressful right now and I have my first AP final coming up in two weeks that I'm currently dying about. Thanks for sticking with me, though! This one might be boring but it's really important. I hope you enjoy it!! **

Because Jawa was training for the upcoming Olympics, he was in California as well. His training center was only about a half an hour drive from Chip's house. On the drive there, Erica spoke about some cool experiences she had as a celebrity. Meeting idols, movie stars and more. I merely made up some cool stories about life in Washington DC. She pretended to go along with them, but I could tell she didn't believe me at all.

Finally, we reached the training center. It was beautiful. It was a huge warehouse with sleek, modern designs inside and out. We walked in. Inside, there was a giant pool, many training bikes, tracks, treadmills and more. It was super cool. There were many people there, but I couldn't see Jawa.

Erica asked the receptionist where he was.

The receptionist smiled warmly at us. I don't think that she knew that it was Erica Handler, however.

"Hi! Jawa is unfortunately training in one of our private rooms today. He likes to train without spectators for his focus and to keep his training regimen a secret, due to the nature of the fierce competition of the Olympics. Thank you for stopping by, though! You can watch some less-commonly known athletes train in the main area if you'd like!" She droned on like a robot. She probably had to say this a dozen times a day.

Erica smiled at her, "But we'd really like to meet him. Could you let him know that Erica and Ben are here to see him?"

The receptionist's smile tightened. It was clear she found us quite annoying for challenging her.

"Of course," she said through gritted teeth, "But I cannot guarantee anything."

Erica gave her an icy smile back. It was very tense. "Thank you so much," Erica said passive aggressively.

The receptionist placed a call. She spoke quietly so we couldn't hear what she was saying, but her annoyed and hardened facial expressions said it all. After aggressively slamming the phone down, she waved us through.

"He's training upstairs and to the right. Have a great day." She snarled with tight lips.

"Thank you," Erica said condescendingly and I followed her upstairs.

We went to a large door with Jawa's name on it. Knocking quietly, we opened the door. Inside was one of the largest workout gyms I've ever seen. It was full of every equipment or machine I could think of. Jawa was working individually with a really ripped trainer, doing a medicine ball routine. We stood quietly as we waited for his reps to finish.

He stood up and noticed us. His eyes widened in shock at seeing us. He started walking over to us.

Jawa looked so healthy. He had a ripped upper body, with defined thighs and strong calves. He had short-cut beard and dark, thick hair that was all messy from the sweat. Jawa looked like he was in great shape and very handsome.

"Oh my god. Wow, it is... wow. Um... good to see you both," He seemed a bit flabbergasted. His trainer looked awkward standing behind him. Jawa shook my hand and gave Erica a wave. Jawa then dismissed his trainer and everyone else with us.

"It's great to see you again, Jawa." Erica said.

"You too," he said, nodding,"How long has it been since the award show? Three years?"

She nodded.

"And Ben, my man," he gave me a bro shake, "What's up? I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"

I told him a brief description of my life, leaving out small parts that make me seem like a loser.

"But we're not here to just catch up," I said, finishing my thoughts.

"Oh really?" He said, raising his eyebrows and looking at Erica.

"We have information," Erica said. She then explained the whole Joshua thing. I could tell while she was explaining it he was not in.

Sure enough, when Erica finished the description, he said:

"Guys, I wish I could. I really do. But the Olympics are in a few weeks. The biggest opportunity of my life. I can't just leave now. But feel free to contact me if you need anything. Anything but going with you guys. I'm sorry."

"No, I understand," I said, a bit sadly. Erica was emotionless.

"I'm so sorry. But I have to train and get ready for the Olympics. Go team USA!" With that, we said our goodbyes.

Erica and I left the training center. As she drove out, I said,

"Well, that's that."

She sighed, "Yeah, that's that. Is this a good idea? Ben, we are all busy nowaday. What if Zoe and Mike both can't come? Do you really want to do it all by ourselves?"

"Yes," I said, without thinking. I just wanted to spend time with Erica and solve this case. There is no way Joshua being in the House of Representatives is a coincidence. And there is no way he turned his life around. Just ten years ago, he tried to kill me. People don't just move on from that.

Erica gave me a doubtful look but kept driving to the airport. We were heading to Illinois, to meet Zoe there.

We got to the airport and she parked her Mercedes in the lot, claiming someone will pick it up for her. We grabbed our luggage and walked inside the terminal. The airport wasn't too crowded. At the kiosk, Erica got our boarding passes. And she got us first class. It was going to be my first time going on first class and I was kinda excited. I offered to pay but she just waved me off, saying she could afford it. Erica claimed there was no way she was sitting in economy (a real rich-ass Hollywood thing to say in my opinion) but she didn't want me to spend my money (seeing that I'm homeless) so she just paid for me. I protested a little, but not that much.

I was afraid someone would recognize her, but she kept her baseball cap low on her face with sunglasses on. And everyone there was too stressed and worried about their own stuff to worry about us. When we got security, the TSA woman was a bit star-struck, but luckily kept it on the down low so no one else recognized her.

Getting through TSA and getting to the gate was a breeze. We got on the airplane and claimed our first class seats next to each other. We even both got a glass of wine!

During take off, we talked more about our lives. I was lying a bit more about details. She kept asking me about relationships or friendships or my social life. All things that were non-existent. And what was I supposed to say when she just spoke about hanging out with Jennifer Lopez after her show?

She could tell I was lying. It was obvious she knew and was getting annoyed at my lies.

"Ben," she said, cutting into my fake story about a raging college party, "I know you're lying. There's no way you did Molly. I can tell. If we're going to go on this mission and are going to be working together, we at least need to be honest with each other. No more lies, and let's not talk about life. Let's just talk about the case and the future. You're going to see Zoe again. Are you nervous?"

"Why should I be nervous?" I asked. It didn't occur to me to be nervous meeting Zoe again since she'd always been nice and sweet to me. But now Erica was getting in my head and I was starting too.

She gave me a deadpanned look, "Why would you be nervous? Maybe because you used to like her and she's married with kids now?"

"I didn't like her that much!" I protested, "I liked you a lot more." The words spilled out before I could stop them. My face turned red.

Erica smirked and chuckled a little bit, "Ha don't worry Ben. It's okay. I sort of liked you too in high school." My ego boosted a hundred points and I beamed.

She shook my head at me playfully and changed the subject. After a while, I fell asleep while she read the in-flight magazine.

Before I knew it, the pilot was announcing we were landing. I was still tired from my nap on the plane, so I felt like I was sleepwalking. But we got our bags and rented a car. Erica could tell I was super sleepy and took charge. As Erica drove us to Zoe's house, I slept.

I woke up again to Erica shaking me awake. We were parked in front of a cute, suburban house. It was white and darker blue with a pouch and a swing. The porch railings were white and the whole two story house had white trim. There were bikes and sports equipment on the front lawn. It was a very stereotypical american house.

Then it hit me:

We were at Zoe's house.

**Ok I know that was boring. Not gonna lie, I was bored writing it. These last few chapters were boring but had really important details in them so thanks for bearing with me lol. Also, some may be disappointed Jawa and Chip won't be joining them for now. (Hint hint wink wink). Erica and Ben have a layover at Zoe's house where there will be a Zoe sub-plot that I think will be interesting.**

**Again, I am so sorry for the long wait. I cannot promise a quick or even week update this week either. I'm so sorry. I have four lacrosse games this week and mid-terms are not this week but the following so it's gonna be a grind. Thanks for sticking with me. Have a great day and thanks for reading this one! See you soon**!


	12. Chapter12

**This ones kinda long. It got away from me. Thanks for waiting! Now that I'm stuck in self quarantine for the next two weeks, my updates will definitely come on time and maybe even earlier if I'm feeling up to it! We get to some more exciting stuff in this chapter. **

**Also, there is one point where a chapter says the F word. I did bleep one letter out, but it is clear what it is so just be warned. This book is not as PG as Clash of Spies since they're adults now, so just FYI. Also everyone be safe and wash your hands. COVID19 is spreading rapidly right now. Alright on that note, please enjoy! **

It took me a while to process that we were finally at Zoe's house as we got out of the car. Erica walked up on the porch first and then I followed. She rang the doorbell.

We heard a dog barking, a sequel of a child and little footsteps running towards the door. The door suddenly swung open to reveal a little boy with sea green eyes and a big toothy grin looking up at us. The boy looked about three years old, had light blonde hair, piercing sea green eyes and a cute, playful smile. Oh my god. That was Zoe's son. I could see parts of her in this boy. Their eyes were the exact same color. Zoe's hair was a darker shade of blonde than the kid's but they had almost the exact same face shape.

"Are you Dory the Doctor?!" The kid exclaimed in awe. He had a cute little kid lisp.

I whirled around to look at Erica due to the kid's comment, "Who?"

Erica shot me an embarrassed side look, "I was on this kid show as a guest star. It was a show like Sesame Street. He must have seen me on that."

I snorted in hidden laughter. I would love to see the Ice Queen on a kids show.

I was jarred out of my thoughts by someone coming up behind the little boy.

"Jackson," we could hear this person say, although we couldn't see them yet, "What did I say about opening the door?"

The boy, Jackson apparently, turned around sheepishly, "Not to do it. Sorry mommy."

The person chuckled and came into the doorframe, but their head was down, looking at her son. She ruffled his hair.

She finally looked up, "What can I do for- oh my god."

I haven't seen Zoe in ten years. She even stopped posting pictures on Instagram three or so years ago. Her hair was dark blonde in a messy bun at the top of her head. She was wearing a loose t-shirt and gray sweatpants. It looked like she was in the middle of baking, as she had flour on her clothes. Zoe looked almost the same, no different features, just older, obviously. She was still very pretty though. My feelings for her were over, however, since she was married and I haven't seen her in so long.

"Hey Zoe," Erica smiled and they embraced. She still looked in shock.

"Uh... hi," Zoe looked like she was having trouble processing all of it, "What, who... why are you here? It's good to see you! Come on in!"

We both expertly avoided eye contact. It was super awkward. I don't know why it should have been, she was married and I was over her. But remembering all those feelings while being reminded she was married was the uncomfortable part.

Her house was nicely decorated. It had dark brown hardwood floors and stairs leading up to a second level. The house was painted very lightly. All throughout the house there were pictures of the family and the kids and even had some artwork by Jackson framed. I noticed a family picture. It was of Zoe, her husband, Jackson and their newborn girl. It seemed to have taken been taken a year ago.

Zoe led us to the main living and kitchen area. She had a huge kitchen with a giant island. It was open concept, so there was a rustic dining table and the living room was visible from here. It felt super homey and happy, with soft light colors and pictures hanging on the walls. Jackson's toys were everywhere and there were some cribs and other stuff for the newborn.

The kitchen was a mess, though, as they were making cookies. Jackson skipped over to the oven and asked his mom to turn the oven light on, so he could see his masterpiece. He plopped himself down right in front of the oven. Erica and I took seats at the island while Zoe leaned against the counter and gave an exhaustive sigh.

"Can I get you guys anything? A water, snack, maybe some orange juice?"

"No but when those cookies come out I would love to help you get rid of them," Erica said playfully. Zoe smiled at this.

Zoe looked the same as before for the most part, but her attitude and vibe was very different. Before, she was always happy and looking for the good in everything. Now, she just seemed exhausted and I had a feeling that something was bothering her. I'd had the feeling ever since I walked in the door.

"So, wow, what brings you guys here? I mean, Ben, I haven't seen you in years!"

"We have, well, an old enemy that's been-" I was cut off however by yelling from upstairs.

"ZOE! THE BABY JUST CRAPPED! DEAL WITH HER PLEASE!" It was a man's voice. The tone was exasperated and had a rude edge to it.

For a second, I could see her face fall into annoyance, but then a happy mask was put on.

"Honey, you think you could change Stella this time? We have guests and I would like to talk with them." Zoe gently called this up the stairs.

We heard him grunt in anger and movement upstairs. Zoe's back was slightly turned on us but on her face, I could make the expression of slight fear and apprehension. It didn't seem like she stood up to this man that often. And she kinda looked mildly terrified at the fact that she just did.

I stole a glance at Erica. Her face was hard and cold. She too noticed Zoe's tone and expression, and probably picked up more emotions that I did. Erica's body language told us she was ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

The person stomped down stairs. The house was quiet, so the footsteps sounded deafening. The person came down the hall and into the kitchen.

The man was about my age, around twenty five years old. He was super handsome, with a chiseled jawline, strong build and lucious sandy blond hair. In his arms, was a crying little baby, only around six or seven months old. He had an unpleasant scowl on his face.

He marched up to Zoe and shoved the baby in her arms. She was super unhappy with him doing this, but tried her best to mask it.

"Here," he said, aggressively, "Change the baby. I provide for this family, the least you could do is change it." Zoe immediately stiffened in anger at his comment, but didn't say anything back. Erica, however, looked like she wanted to punch him. To be honest, so did I. A husband should never speak to his wife like this.

After a few beats of silence, Zoe gently told him, "Thank you, and I appreciate what you do Kurt. However, I have guests and I have been changing Stella for the last few months so I figured you could do it this one time. I'm sorry if I am wrong."

She seemed to be talking to him like a five year old. Her tone was patronizing but it seemed weird to me how she just went along with Kurt's behavior and didn't fight back.

He scoffed, "Yeah you are wrong. Change her. And after that, get me a beer, would you?"

Zoe's face was hard in anger, but her tone to Kurt was light, "We have some in the fridge if you'd like to grab one." It seemed like Zoe was scared to speak up to her husband.

"No, I'd like you to grab one," He made his way to the couch and finally noticed us.

He gave me a judgmental smirk. It was obvious he was judging me and my appearance. But then his eyes went wide when he saw Erica. It was evident he definitely recognized her. Kurt gave a big smile. But then he scanned her body, looking up and down. It seemed pretty clear that he was checking her out. With his wife in the bathroom with their child about twenty feet away. Kurt gave Erica another wolffish grin. Erica gave him a stare that would make me pee my pants. She did not find it great that he was checking her out. In fact, we both found it awful. Kurt seemed a little shaken by the glare, but ignored it.

"Well, I didn't know I would be in the presence of the gorgeous Erica Handler today," he grinned, "Why are you here? Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"Ben and Erica are visiting me. We went to the same middle school," Zoe said as she came walking out out of the bathroom with a happy baby on her hip. Zoe set Stella down in the crib.

"No f*cking way. Zoe, why the hell didn't you tell me that you knew Erica Handler!"

Zoe wheeled around at Kurt, "We do NOT swear in this house, especially around the kids!" It was the strongest I've heard her voice yet.

Kurt glared back at her in dismissive annoyance. "Whatever. But how did you never tell me you knew her?"

"You never asked." Was Zoe's simple reply.

He huffed and rolled his eyes very rudely. I already hated Kurt but it seemed like Erica completely despised him.

Erica stood up however, "I guess you already know who I am," she shook his hand, "Erica." While her words were calm, the tone was dangerous.

He smiled, completely disregarding her tone, "Yep, I know exactly who you are. Kurt Andrews. Pleasure to meet you."

Erica took her hand away and ignored his comment.

I shook his hand too. He looked at it like it was disgusting.

"Ben Randolph."

His eyes went wide and burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha you're Ben? This is the infamous Ben?! You?! Hahaha!" Kurt kept on laughing, "Wow, Zoe, I would expect more out of you."

Zoe's face turned red in embarrassment and anger. I was offended. How dare he speak to me like this? Erica looked like she was ready to punch him. I wasn't far from doing it myself.

But this also means that Zoe spoke about me before, which was nice to hear. And positively I guess. Despite what Kurt was saying, it boosted my ego a little bit too.

"Kurt," Zoe said in a warning tone, "Can I have some time to talk to my guests please?"

"Yeah, sure, but first I want a picture with Erica." Without even asking Erica, he reached and layed his arm around her shoulders. As soon as he touched her, she grabbed his arm and twisted it and pinned in on his back. He cried out in surprise and pain.

"Don't touch me," Her voice was ice cold, "And definitely no pictures."

"What?" He whined, "You're in my house. The least you could do is give me a picture."

"Kurt, no means no." Zoe said in a warning tone.

"And if I find any picture of me without on my consent online or on social media, I will sue you." Erica said.

He opened his mouth, then closed it. He finally decided to roll his eyes. "Whatever. Oh and Zoe, I'm going out with the boys tonight."

Zoe's face fell a little bit. Despite the way Kurt treats her, she still wanted to hang out and be with her husband.

"Again, babe? You just went out with them two nights ago." Zoe tried to hide her disappointment but it didn't work.

"Yeah," he shrugged, unapologetic, "Scott's going through a rough breakup so we're trying to cheer him up."

Zoe looked sad, "Okay," she said doubtfully, "We'll miss you."

He nodded and kissed her on the head. Then he went upstairs.

I forgot Jackson was sitting there until he popped up and hugged Zoe's legs.

"Daddy's not gonna be here for dinner again?" Jackson said very sadly.

Zoe looked sad too and rubbed his head, "Sorry bud, I guess not."

Erica bent down to Jackson's eye level and smiled, "But we'll be with you for dinner. If that's okay, Zoe."

Zoe brightened, "Of course! I was wondering if you wanted to stay! How long are you in town for?"

"Well we wanted to talk to you about school. There's an old enemy who we find suspicious. We were wondering if you wanted to join us in taking him down." And then I explained it all again to her.

At the end, Zoe was shocked, "You think Joshua is up to something? You know, I was reading in the paper about that whole House of Reps thing. Interesting. But I can't."

I wasn't surprised at this point, but it was still disappointing.

"I mean, how could I? I have two kids and a husband who's not here half the time." Zoe looked like she wanted to go, but logistics held her back.

"When was the last time you went on a vacation, without the kids?" Erica asked gently.

Zoe blew out, "God, a little more than two years ago? It was for our honeymoon. My mom watched Jackson."

"Hmmm." Was all Erica said.

Zoe opened her mouth to say something but then Jackson went up to Erica and jumped. She easily caught him. He giggled.

"Hi there," she said, bopping him on the nose, "My name's Erica. It's nice to meet you."

Jackson gave her a big, toothy smile. It was super cute seeing the Ice Queen be so gentle with the little boy. Zoe and I exchanged a smile.

Then Jackson's face turned to confusion. He shook his head rapidly. "You're not Erica," he said with his toddler lisp, "You're Dory the doctor."

Erica laughed, a real, genuine laugh, "No, not in real life. I played that character on TV. In real life, I'm no doctor."

Jackson looked at her suspiciously then shook his head again, "Don't believe you."

Zoe laughed and went to ruffle his hair, "Okay, buddy, whatever you say. What do you want to do for dinner? You can pick since we have guests today."

His whole face light up in excitement, "Rwed Rwobin!" That's what it sounded like with his lisp.

He jumped down from Erica's arms. "Red Robin, Red Robin, Red Robin!" He sung as he skipped around the living room.

Zoe chuckled, "Does Red Robin work for you guys?"

Erica and I shared a smile.

"It's perfect." I said.


	13. Chapter13

**Hi! Thanks for the comment agentgreasy! Yeah it has been a long time haha with the whole coronavirus thing and school being screwed up, writing was hard to keep up with. **

**Thanks for all the support! Please enjoy this monster 4K chapter!**

Zoe, Jackson, Stella, Erica and I left their house at around 4:30 to go to dinner. It was the earliest I'd ever eaten before. I guess that's the life of someone with two little kids. Kurt left for his boys night out around the same time we left.

Surprisingly, I really liked Red Robin. They had some yummy steak fries with this amazing seasoning. Jackson was super cute and loved to play the games on the kids menu with us. He kept "beating" me in hangman but I think Erica was his favorite person to play with. I didn't mind. I got a chance to talk to Zoe about some of the current news and break the ice to get more comfortable in each other's presence. It was still a bit awkward but we were getting more familiar with each other.

Zoe was worried that someone would recognize Erica at Red Robin. As we all know, she's super popular with the teen and early adult crowd, along with fans in every age group. Erica said she's used to avoiding the crowds, especially in LA. She just wore an oversized sweatshirt, leggings and white shoes to keep her on the down low. Erica also wore sunglasses and a low baseball cap. No one really questioned us, except for a group of teen girls who asked if she was Erica Handler. She laughed it off and said she gets that all the time. Then no one really approached her about it. I think part of it was also the fact that the Red Robin staff kept everyone away for the most part. Erica was sure to leave a large tip at the end of dinner. Another perk of traveling with a celebrity is the fact that they pick up the tab every time.

After dinner, we got back to their house at around 6. It was super early, but Jackson and Stella were already super sleepy. Erica and I helped Jackson get ready for bed in his cute fireman pajamas while Zoe got Stella ready for bed. Erica even read Jackson a book, which he was overjoyed about. At 7, they were both out cold.

Kurt was obviously not back yet, so it was just me, Erica and Zoe downstairs.

"What now?" I asked as I sat at the island.

Zoe leaned against the island, "Well, I have to clean up all these dishes before I do anything. Kurt likes the house to be clean when we go to bed." I looked over at the sink area. There were cookie sheets, bowls, mixers and everything stacked a mile high. It would take at least an hour to clean all of it. Erica noticed it too.

"No," Erica said firmly, "Give yourself a break. The dishes can wait until later."

"No, I gotta do them," Zoe protested.

"You're working around the clock each day, 24/7, cleaning, dealing with the kids and doing everything around here it seems. Give yourself a little break. You more than deserve it. Here," Erica walked over to their mini wine refrigerator and pulled out a bottle, "I think we all need a drink."

Zoe opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. It seemed like she really wanted that drink.

I hopped up and grabbed three wine glasses out of Zoe's cabinet while Zoe and Erica popped the bottle of red wine open.

We all sat on her giant sectional house. We had a few sips of wine when Erica asked the question that's been on my mind the entire time I've been here:

"Why did you marry that douchebag?"

Zoe winced at Erica's question and took another sip of wine. It seemed like the alcohol was loosening all of us up a little bit. Her eyes downcasted.

"I mean, I hate to be harsh, but it's true. He's a jerk to you. Why did you marry him?" Erica continued.

Zoe took a long sip of wine before answering.

"We met in college. I was only twenty two and he was twenty three. We were young and were only dating for a few months when suddenly I was pregnant with Jackson. After that, things moved pretty fast. We got engaged four months after I found out I was pregnant and married two months after Jackson was born. It seems like we did it all backwards. I can't believe that was only three years ago. While all this was happening, I was trying to juggle being pregnant and having a baby while I was still in college. Kurt was super supportive of me and really helped me get through that rough time. It also helped that he had a great corporate job at a successful company throughout and after college. It really financially supported us. I honestly couldn't have done it without him. After college finished, I went straight to becoming a stay-at-home mother. He went straight to becoming a working dad. And we were both so young when all this happened. Heck, we're still young." Zoe pauses and got a refill of her wine glass. I had a feeling we would be needing a lot of that tonight.

But that wasn't the full story, I could tell.

"So what happened after that?" I asked gently.

"After Stella was born, our relationship went super tense. At one point, we were arguing every night. About responsibilities as parents. Kurt wanted to go to parties and hang out with friends all the time. I did too, but I always had to remind him that we had a toddler and a newborn baby to take care of. Part of the reason I think we've been arguing is that all of this family life came so quickly. We completely missed out on our 'fun twenties'. We never got to party after Jackson was born. We both missed it, but I had to remind Kurt of the reality and he didn't like it. We argued almost every night. I realized how awful it must be for our little boy, only two years old, to hear his parents arguing. After a while, I just stopped arguing back and standing up to him, just to stop the fighting. Our communication was absolutely nonexistent and still is. This all started happening seven months ago. It's recent and I don't know how to fix it. And Kurt refuses to go to couples therapy with me, so I'm kinda stuck."

I didn't really know what to say. I never experienced anything like that before.

"Zoe, wow, I'm so sorry to hear that. I guess all the happy family stuff I saw on Instagram was fake?" I couldn't believe all this was going on when their pictures looked like the perfect family. However, now that I think about it, the last time I remembered Zoe posting was about three years ago, when Jackson was born. I never even knew Stella existed because Zoe stopped posting.

Zoe laughed weakly, "I guess it was. Although, before I deleted it, we were in a way better place than we are now. My last post was just after Jackson was born and we were thrilled. Everything just kinda went downhill from there. But the reason I deleted my account three years ago was because of my unhealthy addiction to it, not because of anything with Kurt."

Erica wordlessly got up and just hugged Zoe. This surprised me because, ten years ago, there would be absolutely no way Erica would willing touch someone, much less Zoe. However, time made Erica change a bit. She's gotten softer and more kind, which was nice to see.

Zoe hugged her back tight. I could see how much this situation was affecting her. The moment Erica hugged her, Zoe sort of melted and collapsed in her arms. It seemed like the burden of the world was on her shoulders and there was finally someone who could help her lift the burden. I decided that I would help Zoe however I could in this rough patch. When Zoe pulled away, she had tears in her eyes.

"I'll help you however I can. If you need money or anything, I will be there for you. You're not alone Zoe." This was the kindest I'd ever seen Erica and I really loved it.

"Me too," I chimed in.

Zoe nodded at us in thanks and took a long gulp of wine. Erica and I quickly followed suit.

The wine really loosened us up. For the first time, I was completely candid and honest about my situation in DC. I told Erica and Zoe how isolated and lonely I felt in high school and beyond and how Mike ditched me. I also spoke about my job and how I was evicted from my apartment. Zoe, being so kind, offered for me to stay as long as I needed. I told her I appreciated the offer, but how Erica and I were going to investigate the Joshua situation.

Zoe then spoke about how much she wants to go. She was saying how much she needs a vacation right now. It would do wonders to her mental health just to take a break. But she said at this point, there was no way she trusted Kurt alone with the kids for a long period of time.

Erica then spoke about how the fame affected her. She said she's more cautious about her actions and feelings, as they were constantly broadcasted on every magazine in the world. At the level of fame she's at, she's stalked by random people every day. Erica said that fame was something very outside her comfort zone, but was embracing it and enjoying it. Even though it's annoying to be constantly followed, lied about in tabloids, and have your life under a microscope, the experiences outweigh it. And I'm sure that Erica doesn't mind the millions she makes per day.

As the night went on, there was more alcohol consumed and the less I remembered. It got as late as ten, eleven at night. We all spoke candidly and truthfully (although a lot of it was the wine speaking.) It was fun though to completely let loose and let the words fly out.

At around midnight, Kurt was still not home and Zoe was completely drunk, though she admitted before she was lightweight. I was dizzy and everything was fuzzy for me. Erica was the best of us all, not drunk but definitely not sober.

"I just missed you guys so much. I missed you guys sooooooo freakin much you have absolutely no idea," Zoe slurred with her eyes half open.

"I've missed you too. Oh god how I've missed you and Erica and Mike and Jawa and Chip and Erica," I slurred back to her. I wasn't completely sure what I was saying.

Suddenly, I saw an angel above me.

"Alright, get up both of you," the angel said, "Off to bed." The angel yanked my arm so now I was sitting upright again. I realized that that might not have been an angel, as the angel was yanking me around.

"Stop!" Zoe giggled drunkenly, "Stop, stop, stop hehehe." Zoe kept poking Erica as she was trying to drag her off the couch and to bed.

"Come on Zoe, you have to get upstairs. I'm not carrying you." Zoe was rolling around, super drunk, on the floor. She must have been super lightweight.

She didn't stop so Erica grabbed her face while Zoe was mid-roll on the floor. Erica slapped her face. Not super hard, but hard enough for her to wake up from a super drunk state.

Zoe jolted, and with Erica's help, got upstairs and I assumed to bed. I was still laying on the couch, but I felt the wine wearing off a tiny bit so I wasn't seeing black spots every time I opened my eyes.

Erica came back down to me on the couch.

"Come on, Ben," she said, collecting the wine glasses and placing them in the dishwasher, "Go to bed. You're gonna have the worst hangover in the morning."

I just grinned, "Uh huh." The drinks haven't worn off that much at all.

"Erica, did I tell you how much I missed you? I miss you everyday! E-ver-y day!" I drew out the syllables.

"Okay Ben," she said, sorta dismissively as she knew I was drunk, "I missed you too. Off to bed."

Even though she seemed sober, I could tell the drinks were affecting her still too, as she was swaying on her feet.

"No, Erica you don't understannndd," I drawled out, "I missed you SO much. I even kept the sticky note you gave me the last day before school let out. I kept it in my top drawer, the alpha drawer, the leader drawer." I giggled.

Erica sat on the couch next to me. We were merely a foot apart.

She smirked, "I missed you too Ben. I thought of you a few times in these last ten years."

"Yes. I missed yooooouuuu," I drunkenly bopped her on the nose. If she was sober, my arm would already be broken by this time. But she just laughed.

"I missed you too. You know, I'm going to be honest, I-" unfortunately, I didn't hear the rest of her comment because I passed out from exhaustion and from drinking.

XXX

I groaned and wondered why I was up. It definitely wasn't morning. I was way less drunk than I was before (now I could make cohesive sentences) but I had the worst headache. Just the mere start of an awful hangover.

I realized I wasn't on the couch anymore. I was laying on top of the covers on a twin bed in Zoe's guest bedroom. The clock said it was 3:30 in the morning. It's only been three hours since the drinking.

I wondered what woke me but figured out that the garage door had opened, shaking the whole first level of the house. Kurt must have gotten home.

I then realized after all of this that I was not alone in the room. Way across the room was another twin bed, in which Erica was sitting on it scrolling through her phone. I was embarrassed I hadn't noticed her before. To be fair, she was quite a ways away.

She noticed I was awake and smirked, "Can your brain finally work properly?"

I groaned, "Kinda. I guess." I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

"Good. You blacked out before you could get to bed. I had to carry you here because it would be so rude to leave a crazy guy blacked out on Zoe's nice couch."

"Uh huh," I said, very bleary eyed, "Thanks for that. How are you not drunk? You drank as much as I did."

"I'm not as lightweight as you. Plus, I've learned to regulate my drinking because of all the parties and award shows I go to. Can't pass out drunk at the Kardashian's unless you want to get embarrassed. But I'm still drunk, don't get me wrong."

"Oh," I said, still trying to wake up. Comfortable silence followed as I tried to rid my headache and as Erica swiped through her phone.

"What the hell?" Erica growled after a few seconds.

"What?" I asked. She was staring at something angrily on her phone.

"That as*hole Kurt posted a picture of me on his Instagram account even after I told him not to!" Erica aggressively tapped her screen.

"What? How do you know?"

"I told Scott to watch social media after that whole Kurt incident. I told him to see if anyone posts about it and let me know about it. Scott sent me something that said an Instagram account, @kurt_andrews, posted a pic of me from when I was with Jackson. Without my knowledge or permission. That jerk."

She kept clicking.

"It's not a bad picture but I can't believe that he would do something like that. At least his account is private. I guess I shouldn't be surprised he would do that." While Erica was angry, I could hear the slight slur of her words. She wasn't sober.

"I would wait until morning to do something until you have a rational mindset." Luckily, I was smart enough to realize that we weren't mentally acute to solve any issues.

She nodded. I layed back down, trying to fall asleep again. Erica was still on her phone.

After about two minutes, I heard her curse, quite loudly.

"Oh no f*cking way." Her tone was the most calm yet deadly I've ever heard. It honestly chilled me. it was terrifying.

"What?" I said, walking over to her. I was scared to see what she was talking about.

Wordlessly, she showed me the phone. It was a picture on Kurt's Instagram account of him. Kissing another girl. From four hours ago.

"Wha-?" I couldn't comprehend this. Boys night out? Yeah, maybe with some ladies too. I was furious.

I've never seen Erica this angry. Even when facing enemy terrorists, I've never seen her face like this. It appeared calm, but I could see the hard lines in her face. Her crystal blue eyes were cold in the most fury I've ever seen. I would hate to be on the receiving side of that.

Erica calmly stood up and started walking towards the door, phone clenched in her hands. I was perplexed for a second, but then I was aware of the sounds coming from the kitchen. Kurt was almost right outside the door and probably getting a snack or something.

Realizing where Erica was going, I jumped up and blocked her path. I was beyond angry too, but with all of us being slightly drunk, I knew nothing good was coming out of this. And when Erica can't control her emotions, especially while intoxicated, things could get really out of hand.

"Move Ben," she demanded calmly. There was a deadly edge to her voice though.

"'No," I pleaded, "Come on, Erica. I'm mad too, trust me. But this isn't really our place to do something and you're drunk. Nothing good is coming out of this. We'll solve it in the morning."

"I said move Ben," she said in the same deadly calm tone.

But I stayed planted in my spot.

Erica grabbed the front of my shirt and shoved me on the bed out of her way and left the room. I quickly got up and scrambled after her.

When I left the room, I could see Kurt in the kitchen getting a snack and some water and Erica rushing towards him. I was too late.

Erica grabbed his shoulder and whipped him around so he was facing her. His eyes widened in surprise and she clammed a hand over his mouth before he could say anything. She then grabbed his arm and twisted it in an unnatural way and pinned it behind his back, hand still firmly around his mouth to muffle the screams.

He was bent over in pain and she marched him to this storage closet adjacent to the stairs. It was like a small room and was very well organized and the lighting was like a room. Erica threw him into the room.

He crashed to the ground and slid all the way into the wall, where, when he hit the wall, a disinfectant powder fell on his head. Kurt coughed up white powder.

I was standing behind a furious Erica who was standing over the sitting man. He looked ridiculous right now.

She closed the door behind her. We were all crammed into this tiny room.

"What the hell?!" Kurt yelled at Erica, "That was completely uncalled for!"

"Uncalled for?" Erica taunted angrily, "Really? So you think you don't deserve that for cheating on your wife?"

Panic flashed in Kurt's eyes. I caught it and it was clear Erica did too.

"What?! How dare you accuse me of such things?! That's not true!" Kurt tried to save face.

"Oh really?" Erica sneered, "Then what's this?" She shoved the picture of him kissing someone else that night in his face.

He visibly paled at the picture. It was clear he was contemplating lying again or owning up to it. It didn't matter because Erica would be able to sniff the lie out anyway.

But Kurt went with deflection, "How'd you view my account? I'm private."

"It doesn't matter," she sneered, "What matters is the fact you're cheating on your hardworking wife and that you posted a picture of me without my consent specifically after I told you not to."

Kurt realized he was made and his whole act dropped.

He swore, "Are you gonna tell Zoe? Please don't. It was one thing, I was super drunk."

"One thing?" Erica scoffed and scrolled down his feed. Another pic of him making out with the same blonde woman from two week ago.

"I'm telling Zoe and you're going to court. You scumbag as*hole." Erica was furious and I was too.

"Yeah, well, good luck with that. If you tell Zoe, then we're gonna divorce and she's gonna lose all her money. She's gonna be homeless along with the little kids. Zoe needs me." Kurt had the audacity to go there.

This was the tipping point for Erica. His ignorance was disgusting and unacceptable. She punched him right directly in the face. I think I even heard something crack.

He swore very loudly and clutched his face.

Erica leaned over him, "When you guys divorce, she gets half of what you have. And plus, I'm her friend. Do you think I'm short of any cash? Zoe and the kids are going to be fine. In fact, they'll be better than when you were in their life. I'd be more worried about yourself."

He was about to respond, when the closet door opened, revealing a terrified Zoe holding a baseball bat. She must have heard all the noise and came to investigate. She didn't look drunk anymore at all.

Her eyes went wide at the scene in front of her. Erica standing over Kurt, covered in white cleaning powder and clutching his face.

"What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On. Here?" Her words were slow and deliberate. She seemed angry at all of us at this point.

No one responded yet. Zoe narrowed her eyes at all of us. "Out. Everyone. Out of this closet. And someone better explain what's going on." I definitely didn't want to be the one to explain all of this. I tried to prevent it.

We all filled out into the hall with the stairs next to us leading up to the second floor.

"I'm sorry," Erica said sympathetically. Zoe looked confused. Erica showed her the phone.

At first Zoe couldn't comprehend it. She looked at it a couple of times. She zoomed in and out. Finally, she turned on her husband sitting against the wall. Zoe said nothing but her face said it all. Betrayal, anger, sadness and hurt were all visible.

"Look, babe, I can explain-" he tried to save himself.

"No. It looks pretty clear to me," Zoe was dangerously calm. I was holding my break to see how this would play out. Erica was looking at everything with calculated eyes, and was watching Kurt very carefully to make sure he didn't make a move.

"No, I-"

Zoe's calm facade finally broke.

"GET THE F*CK OUT OF MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW KURT ANDREWS!" She screamed this so loud I was sure the neighbors heard this.

"Babe, please," He tried to plead one more time. Kurt stood up, but Erica's iron grip was around his arm so he couldn't approach her. It looked like Zoe's last thing she wanted was to be near him.

"GET OUT!" Zoe pointed to the door aggressively.

Kurt tried to approach her again, but Erica yanked him back. Water was flowing down her cheeks and her face was streaked with tears.

"I'll take him out," Erica said coldly as she dragged him out the front door.

As if it couldn't get worse, we all heard a little voice call over the banister.

"Mommy?" Jackson's voice was trembling in unshed tears, "What's happening?"

Zoe didn't want to face him with her tear streaked face as he was just behind and above her so she called out without turning around.

"Daddy and I had a disagreement. Don't worry, baby, we'll talk in the morning. Go back to bed." Zoe tried her best to hide her emotions and the amount of trembling in her voice.

"But mommy I'm scared," Jackson finally started crying. Zoe looked like she was debating facing and comforting her son, but with her face all red, it might be more scary than calming.

"I'll go," I offered. Zoe gave me a grateful smile.

I took the stairs two at a time to reach Jackson with little tears falling down his face. It was heartbreaking. He was trying to wipe them away but he couldn't. He was clutching his teddy bear dog in his other hand.

I hugged him for a long time. Finally, he was exhausted enough to fall asleep a little while after. Per his request, I slept on the door next to his bed that night.

But before I went back to sleep, I saw Zoe sitting against the wall and sobbing. She looked like she wanted time to herself at the moment.

This was going to be one giant mess to figure out in the morning.


	14. Chapter14

**Hello everyone! To answer your question PinkLaser:**

**1\. I honestly normally get my ideas in the shower. After the initial idea comes, I just build off of it and I have a plot!**

**2\. I'm not gonna say the future of Chip and Jawa, but let me just say that wasn't the last we'll see of them ;)**

**Thanks for questions! Let me know anytime if you have any more! **

**This chapter was supposed to be longer but then I ran out of time haha. Online school started and I thought it would be a breeze but it's actually a lot more work then regular school because teachers have to make sure we're paying attention to the videos and stuff. It's a bunch of mindless google forms and check ins.**

**I thought updates might come closer in this odd quarantine but workload is about the same so I guess once a week it is. Please enjoy!!**

I woke up a pounding headache. Yet another thing I regret from all the drinking last night. I groaned and when I rolled over, I hit my head. Right, I was on Jackson's floor. The sunlight was streaming through the windows already. At latest, it was probably 8am. I also realized that someone put a Thomas the Train blanket on me sometime while I was sleeping. My guess was Jackson did it, since it was previously on his bed.

I stood up and looked at the bed. Jackson wasn't on it and his bed was made, but poorly, like he did it himself. The clock read 7:25am. I heard noises downstairs, so I quickly brushed my teeth and did my hair.

When I got downstairs, I saw Jackson on the couch watching Paw Patrol, looking very happy, as if he forgot the events this early morning. Stella was in her crib next to the wall. Erica was in their vast kitchen, making what looked and smelled like eggs, pancakes and bacon. She wasn't wearing any makeup, unlike yesterday, though she still looked gorgeous. Erica toned down the whole "celebrity" thing and was just wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants, instead of stylish designer wear. Zoe was sitting at the island, face red and blotchy from crying last night. It seemed like she was still crying a little bit. But seated next to her was an older woman, rubbing circles on Zoe's back. She looked around fifty or sixty years old with light, graying blonde hair and a concerned look on her face. In fact, she looked like an older version of Zoe.

When Zoe noticed me, she looked up and gave me a weak smile.

"Good morning, Ben," she said.

"Good morning," I nodded back.

"Look, thanks again for being with Jackson last night. It means a lot to both of us." Zoe looked utterly exhausted.

I shook my head, "There's no need to thank me. Any time." Zoe gave me a grateful smile.

The woman next to Zoe turned around and introduced herself, "Hi Ben. My name is Linda. I'm Zoe's mom. I've heard great things about you!" She was very sweet and hugged me, "So you went to Smithin's with Zoe? That's very cool!"

I almost forgot our own families don't know the identity of us and how we spent our high school/middle school days.

I smiled, "Yes I did. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too," she beamed, "Although it's unfortunate you came the night this whole thing happened. But thank you for being there for her and being so supportive. I came down here for Zoe too since I only live about a half an hour away."

"It's all okay, I'm happy we could be here to help in any way we can." I said.

"Well aren't you sweet!" Linda smiled at me.

"Ben, breakfast?" Erica called from the kitchen.

"That would be great, thanks," I said as I sat down on the other side of Zoe on the island. Erica slid a plate over to me. It had eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and pancakes. I quickly dug in. It was amazing.

"Wow Erica! I didn't know you could cook!" I told her.

She chuckled, "I've always been able to cook." Of course she has. That does not surprise me.

"Oh my gosh!" Zoe suddenly called out, "It's 7:45! Jackson, turn off the TV! It's time for school. Get all your bag ready!" She looked very panicked, "I have to get ready!"

Linda put a calming hand on Zoe's back. "I can take Jackson to school this morning. Enjoy yourself with your friends. Don't over-stress yourself out right now. I'll be back in a bit." She helped Jackson gather his things and we heard the garage door open, then close.

Right as we heard the door close, Zoe cried out, "God I am so hungover!" She then rested her head on the counter. She did a good job hiding it from her mom though.

Erica laughed outright and handed her a glass of water and a bottle of asprins. She took two. I took one myself. My head was killing me.

Erica sat at the spot Zoe's mom was at. There was tension in the room because we all knew we should be talking about what had happened that morning, but nobody wanted to.

So I started, "When did your mom get here?"

Zoe exhaled, "About six thirty this morning. I called her at around five this morning and explained everything, aside from the fact that Erica beat him up. She was already shocked to see her here this morning. Oh thanks for punching him by the way. He deserved it."

Erica nodded, "You're welcome. Any time." She said lightly.

"Wait, Erica, where did you take Kurt last night? He's not dead is he?!" I realized I never saw her come back last night/this morning. And Kurt was definitely not here.

"No, no. I dumped him in front of this crappy motel about twenty minutes from here. I don't know if he had money but I don't care. The entire way he tried to make excuses, but I didn't listen. Zoe, you deserve a lot better."

This finally broke Zoe. Big tears started to fall. Her shoulders started to shake in sobs.

"You know, I had a suspicion that this was happening six months ago! Ever since Stella was born, he was hanging out with his friends more often than normal. I thought nothing of it, until he was staying overnight. But I've never thought that..." she broke down once more.

Erica and I comforted her. I felt so bad about this whole thing. And partly, I felt like this was my fault. Zoe was all happy and didn't know about Kurt's secret life. Even though it was awful what he was doing to his own wife, she didn't know yet and I wasn't sure if it was Erica or my right to mess up their marriage. Oh well, it's done now.

"I know, Zoe, I know. He's a complete as*hole. You don't deserve him. You deserve way more. Kurt's in some sketchy motel right now, hopefully thinking everything over." Erica rubbed her back.

Zoe laughed a little, "Yeah, I guess you're right." She sat up straighter, "Well, that was fun but I guess I'll go get him now."

Zoe said it so offhand and after-the-fact. Her tone was very chill and normal. Erica and I shared a look of concern and a bit of panic. Zoe seriously cannot be taking him back after all of this, right?

"Wha-what do you mean?" I asked in surprise.

Zoe looked at me like I was crazy for asking me that. Erica shot me a concerned look.

"What do I mean? Well, I can't leave him out there. We're not getting divorced, you know that right?" Zoe looked at us like we were crazy for suggesting that. Did she just forget what happened this morning?

"What?" Erica said, a little harsher than I think she intended, "Um... you're taking him back? After he was cheating on you?"

"Of course, as much as I want to I can't divorce him." Zoe looked like she was putting on this act like everything was fine, but I could tell she wasn't okay.

"Zoe, this man cheated on you. While you were with a newborn child. Why wouldn't you divorce him? I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but do you want to be dependent on him for the rest of you and your children's lives?" Erica tried to explain it to her.

This broke Zoe once again. She had just finished crying and now the waterworks were starting again.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand, Miss Billionaire Erica Handler!" Zoe suddenly lashed out and started screaming at Erica. We were both taken by complete surprise.

"You have your million dollar house, with a full staff and freakin bowling alley! You don't know what real struggle is! They say money isn't everything, well, it FU*CKING is!" Tears were streaming down her face. All the stress that was boiling was finally bursting out. Erica didn't look too affected, but looked more concerned for Zoe.

"I can't break up with him! I can't, no matter how much I want too!" Zoe growled, "I had Jackson when I was twenty two! I barely graduated college! Right after college, I was a stay-at-home mom. I have none, absolutely NO work experience whatsoever! Say I do divorce him. How the hell am I supposed to make money? No one will hire me if I have nothing on my resume at twenty five years old! I have no money of my own! Kurt and I share the money, but it's all his! He financially supports all of us. Plus, I'd have to hire a lawyer for court if I divorce him! I don't have any money, much less money for that. And I'd take the children if we divorce and I won't be able to support them as a single mother with no job. AND we're still paying off the mortgage for the house! Honestly, I'd be in debt if I divorce him! I cannot be in debt with little kids. I'd rather put myself through hell with Kurt than putting my kids through hell. See why I can't divorce him Miss Beverly Hills?" Zoe spat the words at Erica.

Erica gestured at Zoe to calm down, "Zoe, Zoe, you've gotta calm down. First off, I'll pay off your mortgage for the house, so you don't have to worry about it. Second, I'll call my lawyers for you. They don't really do these types of cases, but they went to like, Harvard law school or something, so I'm sure they'd be happy to help you out. They're really grateful they have a celebrity client so I'm sure for this small case they'd do it for free. Zoe, don't worry about anything. Just focus on you and the kids' happiness and safety."

Zoe looked shocked. She looked like she was debating between being super grateful and accepting the gifts or putting up a defense. She went for the latter.

"I don't need your pity," Zoe said harshly.

"I don't care," Erica said, matching Zoe's tone, "You're gonna accept what I'm giving you. Like you clearly pointed out, I have more money than any person really needs. I'd do anything to help you and the kids. It's honestly unsafe for you, Jackson and Stella to live with him. Come on, Zoe, let me help you."

Zoe looked conflicted once again, but this time decided to give in, "Thank you," she said quietly and in relief. I could tell this was really stressing her out.

Erica nodded, "Of course. And I can work out giving you a non-taxable and not time sensitive loan. Just to get you off your feet. And you all are welcome to stay with me until you find your own place, if you're interested in moving. Zoe, we want to help you. Don't worry about logistics, worry about your safety."

Zoe smiled gratefully, "Thank you again. It's too much, thank you. And you know what?" Zoe said while standing up, "I'm gonna go."

"Go where?" I asked in confusion. That was a change in subject.

"On your mission. I deserve this. I haven't been on a trip without the kids or without Kurt since senior year high school summer.I want to take a trip with you guys and do something I miss so dearly. Do something familiar. I kinda want to be a spy again. Let's do it." Zoe grinned.

I was thrilled! "Really? Are you sure? Who will watch your kids?"

"My mom's always said she wanted to spend time alone with the kids. She's in town now. I'm sure she would be happy to watch them. Let's do it."

I shared an excited look with Erica, "Let's do it!"

XXX

Zoe didn't want to leave before Jackson got home. She and her mom talked it out and Linda was completely on board with the idea. Zoe told her there was a school reunion and that she was going with us. Linda said that Zoe deserved a vacation and to clear her head, and Linda and her husband wanted to spend time with the kids. It was all working out.

After breakfast, Erica dragged me with her to the hardware store. We bought security cameras for Zoe's house, to make sure that Kurt doesn't come back or anything. When we got back, Zoe was packing, Erica was talking with her lawyers to help Zoe out, and I was left to install the cameras.

I found a giant ladder and installed the cameras outside and inside the main parts of the house. They were really fancy so that no one could see them. I also linked it all to Zoe's phone. It was lunchtime by the time I was done. Linda made us some wonderful sandwiches and salads. Erica was then talking to Zoe about her situation with the lawyers and how they were going to approach court.

Zoe asked me to help me with her finances. She had very little in the bank, nothing they could live off of, so Erica gave her a hefty loan. After that loan, if they were careful, they could live off it for up to about three years, but she would get a job by then and make more.

I helped Zoe with a plan on how to make this loan last. To start, Kurt and Zoe never got a 529 plan for their kids! I was shocked! I told her to set that up so they would have a college fund and told her how much to put in there. I also had Zoe get a Roth IRA, which is non-taxable and would be a great investment. I told her how to add to that. Lastly, I invested in some safe but sturdy stocks and bonds so that she could make money off of that. We set up a credit card for her and I told her how to keep a good credit score. And since Erica paid off their house, she was free to stay there. Once we had situated her financials with a detailed plan, Linda went to get Jackson.

Finally, Jackson got home and Zoe told Jackson about how she was leaving. He was heartbroken. Jackson had never been without his mother, ever. After a long talk together, Jackson finally stopped crying and accepted this.

He was also very sad to see me and Erica go. We promised we'd be back. After a lengthy, depressing goodbye, we loaded up in the car. Zoe seemed like she was second-guessing her choice to go, but decided it was best.

In our rental car, we headed off to the airport. Erica and I were supposed to leave the next day, but we found an earlier flight for all three of us. Our flight to Boston left in two hours. It was time to see Mike.

**Also, all the finance stuff is real. It's from my business class and Econ class. Ask your parents if they have a 529 plan for you, which is for like a college fund or something. Also everyone should get a Roth IRA. It's non taxable and great for retirement or buying a home!**

**Alright see you next time!**


	15. Chapter15

**I hope you all are doing well in this crazy time. Thank you for the amazing support you're giving me and the story! This chapter is pretty long too haha. Please enjoy!! :))**

Getting through security was a breeze. We were still forty five minutes before our flight. We got some sandwiches and sat down at the gate. While we were eating our sandwiches, Zoe nudged me.

"Four o'clock," was all she whispered. From our spy days, I knew that meant to turn to my four o'clock. When I turned, I saw some guys filming us, or more, filming Erica. There was a teenage girl, looking around seventeen and a man, who looked about in his late twenties.

The girl looked ecstatic to have "spotted" Erica Handler, but the guy didn't. He had a stoic face, but was still filming us. He looked annoyed he had to film her. My guess was that he was an older sibling of someone who made him film her.

But we couldn't let anyone film us. If they posted it online, SPYDER or Joshua or whoever was possibly plotting something could see us and come after us. We needed a plan.

Zoe then nudged Erica. I noticed her discreetly looking at them. She nodded at Zoe. Zoe got her phone out and started a group text message with all of us.

Zoe: We've gotta get them to stop filming us.

Erica: Yeah and we've gotta get the previous footage. That girl though could be live streaming. Teenagers do that kinda stuff nowadays. That guy just seems reluctant to film me. His family probably put him up to it.

Ha Erica confirmed my theory.

Me: What should we do?

Erica: I have a plan. I'll go over to them and say I noticed them filming me. I'll tell them to actually talk to me rather than just creepily film me from a distance. Walk over and offer to take a picture for them. While you have their phones, delete the picture and all the videos. And especially don't take a picture of us. Give the phones back and we'll all leave quickly before they figure it out. I don't think they're on our flight because of their lack of luggage. I'm guessing they're flying close.

It took a super long time for Erica to type that out.

Zoe: On it, let's go Ben.

We all stood up. The teenager squealed as she noticed us walking right towards us. Erica wasn't in her full Hollywood glam, but she still looked celebrity-like even though we told her to keep it on the down low.

Erica smiled at them. It was crazy how her whole facade can change into a calm, relaxed, kind person. Not that she wasn't, but she was very scary in real life.

"Hi guys!" Erica said. The people already put down their phones. The guy, despite looking like he didn't want to film her, seemed giddy she had spoken to them.

But before Erica could say any more, the girl started blubbering, "Ohmygod. Ican'tbelieveEricaHandlerisrightnexttome. Icouldcry! Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! ILOVEYOUSOMUCH!"

It was so hard to understand her as she was semi-crying and slurring all her words together. Erica smiled and laughed. She hugged the girl. It was kinda weird to see.

"And who are you?" Erica asked the man.

He grinned, "I'm Chase. Sorry for creepily filming you but I thought I recognized you and when I told my younger sister, she freaked. She's a huge fan."

"Yeah, about filming me, why don't you just come up directly and ask for a picture? You don't need to secretly film me. Just be direct and ask for a picture."

The teenager squealed once again, "OHMYGOD CAN I HAVE A SELFIE?! Please?! Oh my god I'm gonna go viral!"

Erica sent us a concerned glance. We were standing a few steps behind Erica and it was kinda awkward we were just standing there.

"Sure. Hey, how about my friends take our picture? We can get a better angle." Erica gestered for us to come closer. We did and the teenager handed her phone to Zoe so that she could get a picture. I went up to the guy to distract him.

"Hey, man, where are you heading off to?" I said casually, like I was trying to start some light conversation.

"Chicago. My girlfriend is out there."

"Are you traveling with that girl?" I gestured to the overly excited teenager, wondering if she was family or something.

The man shook his head, "No. She was just wondering who I was filming and then freaked out when I told her. How do you know Erica?"

"I went to school with her," I said vaguely.

"This is the best day of my life! Thank you so much! OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU!" The teenager was still very excited.

"Do you want a picture?" Erica asked the guy.

"Sure," he said shrugging, "My sister would murder me if I didn't." He handed Zoe the phone. Zoe hadn't handed the phone back to the teen yet, so that she wouldn't notice there was no picture of them. Zoe sneakily handed the phone to me.

Zoe deleted all the pics and videos he took and handed the phone back to him. I handed the phone back to the teen. Luckily, no one was paying attention to us in the airport (as everyone was either tired, annoyed, stressed, angry at someone or just completely zoned out) so no one noticed this interaction and we weren't bombarded with more picture requests.

Right as we walked away, the gate agent got on the loudspeaker calling out boarding numbers. Since Erica is like a gold medallion member or something, we got to board first.

To Zoe's surprise, we were all first class. Erica found and booked these earlier tickets for us, so of course we were first class. It was cool because I don't fly that often and when I do, I obviously go economy. This was Zoe's first time going first class and my second, first being when I flew to Illinois with Erica..

Unlike some airplanes, the first class was three seats. I was in the middle with Erica on the window seat and Zoe on the aisle. I normally hated the middle seat, but the seats were so luxurious that there was plenty of room. Like the last flight, we all got the offer of wine.

Laughing, we all ordered coffee. We were not having another drinking fiasco like last night. Wow was that whole thing last night? It seemed like ages ago but was only this early morning. Zoe seemed to be handling well on the outside so far.

Once we reached cruising altitude, Zoe told us she was going to watch a movie. There were no in-flight TV's, so we had to watch them on our phones.

When Zoe turned her phone on for the first time, a screensaver of her and Kurt immediately popped up. It was a really cute picture. Zoe was laughing at something Kurt had said and he was smiling a true, genuine smile. He had an arm around her and Kurt took the selfie. It looked like it was about two years ago.

Zoe looked at the picture longingly, with a sad expression. She didn't say anything. Despite what a jerk Kurt was, they were still in love at some point. They obviously had many happy memories, and the whole situation was just sad because of the betrayal and hurt Zoe had felt. Zoe and Kurt had spent the last three years together. They were married.

Zoe then turned off the phone. She set it on her tray table and then decided to fall asleep. The flight attendants gave everyone in first class a pillow and blanket so she used that to attempt to sleep.

Erica and I were just talking about random stuff. What celebrities are like in real life, what she thought of high school, about my high school experience and other stuff about the old days.

After about an hour of talking, she looked at me seriously. "Alright, since we're being honest, what are relationships like nowadays?"

This completely caught me off guard. I had not really dated at all during college and even after college. I had dated a co-worker for about a month, but all we talked about was work during our dates and it wasn't working out for either of us.

"I um... nope. No girlfriend if that's what you're asking. Uh... you know, the dating pool is quite small right now in DC and um..." I tried to make some lame excuses.

Erica gave me a hard look, "The dating pool is definitely not small for a twenty four year old male in Washington DC. This should be your prime. Going to clubs and parties, meeting up with people."

That was very true; I was just trying not to look like a loser. I was never the one to get invited to parties or to go clubbing, but the truth hurt.

"What about you?" I deflected, "Aren't you dating some popstar named Adam or something? Or that actor named Griffin?"

She looked appalled, "Adam Gertstrich? Have you been reading the tabloids? I've never met Adam, other than seeing him at events. And Griffin and I are just friends. I'm not dating anyone right now."

The thought crossed my mind. Very briefly, but it did. What if... what if we could be together? Relight the spark we had in Spy School? But I quickly dismissed the thought. How could Erica date me? Our lives are complete opposites right now. And was she even interested?

She was studying my face while I pondered it. Erica seemed like she was trying to get a read on my emotions towards this. Since I have no way to hide my emotions, she probably did pick up on some of my thoughts.

Before it got too awkward, we heard a buzz. We both immediately checked our respective phones. Since we were flying this newer airline, everyone on the plane got full wireless and phone service. But it wasn't our phones. I looked over and Zoe was passed out sleeping. On her tray table, her phone displayed an incoming call. From Kurt Andrews.

I grabbed it and showed it to Erica. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"What do I do?" I whispered hissed at her.

"I don't know!" She snapped back at me.

"Should I answer it?" I asked.

Erica slapped my hand away from the button, "You have no right to do that! Wake Zoe!"

I shook Zoe hard. She groaned and slowly woke up. I shoved her phone right in her face as soon as her eyes opened.

Zoe looked wide awake once she saw the screen. She grabbed it from me and debated for a second about accepting the call when she finally did.

She put it on speaker so we could hear what he said. Erica and I leaned in our seats to hear what he had to say.

"You're such a fu*king idiot, Zoe." He growled. His voice was hard and as cold as ice. It reminded me of Erica's when she was intimidating. It was terrifying to hear him like that.

Zoe didn't respond. There was fear in her eyes.

"I'm in this sh*tty hotel that your celebrity friend dropped me off at. I have no idea where I am and oh right, I just got off the phone with some fancy ass lawyers who say they've drawn the divorse papers. Divorse papers? Zoe, you don't know what you're doing. That rich b*tch may have convinced you to do this, but think about it. You think you're gonna get half of my money? Yeah right. My lawyers will make sure that doesn't happen. I'm hiring the best in the state. You and the kids will be homeless in a year. Give it time. Think about what you're doing. You need me."

Zoe looked like she was having a hard time processing this. Erica looked furious, like she was gonna punch someone. I was beyond mad too. Finally, Zoe said, "Kurt, I will not take any more threats from you." Her words were strong, but her tone was weak. She seemed terrified.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm not threatening you." He said condescendingly, "I'm merely warning you. You have no money of your own and there's no way you're getting half of mine. I didn't work my ass off for you for the last three year for you to sweep in and take half. No way."

This made Zoe furious, "Do you think I've been sitting around the house eating bon bons these last few years?! That I've been doing nothing?! Kurt I've been doing ALL the housework, taking care of two kids, cleaning, taxes, cooking, all that stuff so YOU could have a smooth day! Don't talk to me, Kurt! And don't call me again!"

Kurt laughed very darkly, "Whatever you say. And you may have kicked me out of the house now, but remember, Zoe, I know where the house is. Not threatening you, just a warning. You've made me mad and I know where the house is. Keep that in mind." With that, he ended the call.

Zoe looked angry, scared and panicked. Kurt just indirectly threatened her. I couldn't believe he did that. It seemed like Erica couldn't either. She was beyond pissed. Erica looked like she wanted to murder someone.

"I-I can't do this. I have to get back to my mom and my family. What if..." She gulped, "God forbid what if he hurt my mom or the kids? I can't. I have to go back."

"Zoe, calm down. Okay? Calm down." Erica said, "He's making threats which will do well in court. I just recorded the entire conversation on my phone from the moment he picked up. You'll do nothing but antagonize him if you go back. You're falling into his trap. He won't do anything because he knows he'll be broke and go to jail. I can send a security team to your house if you'd like. Don't cause yourself more stress if you go back. Of course, it's your decision, but I wouldn't go back."

Zoe nodded shakely. I agreed with Erica. I feel like it was an empty threat and knowing Erica, she already sent a security team to her house (heck she sent Jawa and Chip to my parents house ten years ago. Ah memories.) I was sure Zoe and her family were going to be okay.

The mood turned somber after that. No one was up for conversation or anything. We landed in Boston. Erica got us a rental car. I wasn't sure how we were going to meet Mike. I haven't talked to him in forever but I wasn't sure about Zoe and Mike. But Erica told us she figured it out, so we trusted her and were on our way.

Zoe drove us (with Erica's direction) into the middle downtown Boston. We got to this fancy hotel. It was one of those hotels people visit on vacation. It was old and had luggage men with white gloves. Yeah, that type of fancy. We could see the Red Sox stadium peeking over the heights of downtown, so that's must be why we were here. We were gonna meet Mike at a game.

Zoe and I both looked uncomfortable in this rich lifestyle. Erica just looked natural as she handed the value the keys to our rental. The luggage people took our bags and I guess are taking them to our rooms for us? I don't really know, I wasn't familiar with this type of hotel. If I want to splurge on a trip, I go to a Hilton.

"Erica," Zoe hissed as we were waiting in line for the front desk, "How the hell are Ben and I supposed to pay for this?! We're not all made of money!"

Erica just waved at us dismissively. "It's okay, I got it."

Zoe started to protest, but I shook my head slightly. I've learned just to go along with Erica's excessive spending.

This time, we all got separate rooms, but we really didn't need them. Each room consisted of a "bedroom" with an attached bathroom bigger than my apartment. The bed was the biggest size possible and there was even a couch at the foot of the bed. There was a giant living area too in each room with a giant couch, TV, coffee table and kitchen. I could live here and be better than my apartment.

Once I reached the bathroom, I almost fawned over the fancy lotions and shampoos. In no way, shape or form did I care normally about that kind of stuff. But at my apartment, the water pressure was non-existent and often switched to freezing cold. It had been forever since I had a good shower.

Erica told me and Zoe we were going to meet Mike at his game. It was a super late game, starting at around ten pm (there had been technical difficulties with the field earlier that day). We were going to meet him before the game at around eight. We were leaving the hotel at 7:30.

I had three hours, so I was going to use that time well and bask in the luxury. And that's what I did. I decided to take a fancy shower with hundreds of settings. I used the free shampoos and conditioners (that cost more than my food for a month) that they provided. Oh and the water pressure was perfect. I probably took an hour and a half long shower. I had never felt so good in my life. My hair was finally properly clean and my face was properly moisturized. Once the steam cleared from the bathroom, I looked at my reflection. I could barely recognize myself. Gone was my greasy, unkempt hair. The dark circles under my eyes were not even noticeable. My skin looked hydrated and healthy.

I looked freakin good. It had been a long time since I cleaned myself up properly.

I wrapped a towel around my me and left the bathroom to look through the vast closet of clothes to borrow for our stay. It was in the living area.

I was looking at some sharp sports coats when I heard a voice. Erica walked right into my room with her head down, not paying any attention to her surroundings and just staring at her phone.

"Ben, we're leaving in..." I whirled around at her. Erica drifted off mid sentence in mild surprise. I was standing in front of her in just a towel wrapped around my lower body. I was shirtless.

I could have sworn she checked me out for a second. I felt my face turn red hot. It was so awkward, I didn't know what to say.

"Uh... you look good, Ben," she smiled at me. I had a feeling her face was red too, but it was hard to tell with all her makeup. Speaking of her makeup, she looked really good. Erica had a toned-down cocktail dress, a perfect dress for a chill party. She had light but beautiful makeup and her hair was curled at the end. I found myself staring and creeped myself out.

"Haha... thanks," I laughed nervously. Based on her appearance, it seemed like we were going to an event. A low-key event, but still something you should semi-dress up for.

She smirked at me. I could tell she knew I was staring. I felt my face heat up even more.

"I was here to tell you that we're leaving in a half an hour. And we're going to this bar for an event Mike is hosting before the game, so dress accordingly." Before I could say anything else, she had left.

As soon as the door clicked shut, I gave a big sigh in relief. God that was awful. But in a different sense... I kinda liked it. My brain was full of the thoughts of the last interaction as I decided what I was gonna wear.

I think this hotel was arranged by Mike or his team. His team probably knew we were here, if Mike didn't know. There was a whole box of stuff of Mike's merch and Red Sox souvenirs. So I decided to wear Mike's jersey and a black sports coat on top. I wore casual dress pants and some nice loafers. I styled my hair nicely for a change. Thank you fancy hotel closet.

I met Zoe and Erica in the lobby. Zoe was looking gorgeous as well. She had on some really nice jeans and a stylish shirt with a Red Sox jacket over. Zoe seemed to have done what I did, clean up nicely. She had taken a shower too and I could smell some of the fancy perfume on her as well. And she was bubbling about the place.

"Oh my god, did you see the brands of shampoo? A bottle costs easily two hundred dollars! And this shirt is Prada! I am wearing Prada!" Zoe squealed and spun around. Erica smiled.

We got in the car that Mike's team provided and drove to this hip and popular modern bar that was only about a block from the statum.

There was a lot of commotion around the place. Fancy cars were pulling up and the valet tried to keep the order. It was no use. The bouncers kept kicking the fans out and trying to let the people on the list in.

In all the chaos, we managed to tell the bouncer our names and get it. It was madness. Drinks were spilled everywhere, people stumbling around, loud music and lots of partying. The bartenders were struggling to keep up. The room was dark too, so it was super hard to see anyone. Erica looked calm and collective while Zoe and I were freaking out. I guess Hollywood parties are like this.

"Stay calm, don't antagonize drunk people and definitely don't stand near a drunk person. Let's find Mike. I'm sure he's not drinking since he has a game in a few hours," Erica whispered to us as we followed her through the crowd.

Zoe was walking in front of me when she suddenly stopped. I bumped into her.

"What-why'd you stop?" I asked.

Zoe merely pointed into the distance. There was a really ripped guy dancing on the top of the bar with no shirt on and waving a white Red Sox jersey above his head. He was obviously drunk and probably high.

It took me a second to recognize him. But once I did, I was horrified.

"Mike?" I whispered, almost to myself.


	16. Chapter16

**Here we are, a week later with Chapter 16. God this one is LONG. Thanks for waiting! But I definitely think it'll keep your attention. Lots of twists and turns, that's for sure. Thank you for all the wonderful comments in the last chapter. I can't wait to read them this time! **

**Also, anyone who's on the FanFiction app, are you guys having technical difficulties and is it making you login in with your username every time you open the app? It's annoying so if its happening to you too please let me know! Or if you have ideas to fix it that'd be much appreciated!! Thank you!**

** Please enjoy! Oh and whoever is on spring break, happy spring break!**

We caught up to Erica who was still weaving through the crowds. She was keeping her head down to avoid being recognized, thus she hasn't seen Mike yet. We reached her and Zoe grabbed her arm. Zoe gestered up towards Mike and when she noticed him, she completely stopped. The poor drink person nearly knocked into her. Erica covered her mouth and muttered "What the hell are you doing?" Mike had done the impossible. Shocked Erica Hale herself.

I was going through a turmoil of emotions too. My childhood best friend who I hadn't seen in almost a decade was here. And drunk, high and half naked. Despite how awful and gross he looked, I was still glad to see him, as I missed him. His life looked like it went to crap way worse than mine did. I guess all the money and fame really got to him in the worst ways.

We stood there awkwardly deciding if we should approach him while he was like this. The bar was surrounded by girls mostly who were also very drunk and high. But as he spun in a circle, he noticed us.

Now that we got a view of his front, it was worse. He was obviously still very handsome and had great abs. But now he had dark circles under his eyes and a spacey look in his eyes. He looked like he was half out of it. And he was wearing his uniform (minus the shirt jersey waving in the air) so he was going to play tonight. But after seeing the state he was in now, I wasn't too sure. And I'm pretty sure he was the starting pitcher.

Anyway, when he spun, he noticed us and stopped dancing for a second. He stood there, just staring at us. The hoard of girls then turned on us, jealousy filling their eyes. Mike then grinned really big and jumped off the bar and made his way towards us.

"Oh my god! Hey guys! Cameron said you were dropping by!" He stumbled forward in his drunkenness and almost fell completely on top of Zoe.

We were all shocked in his state right now. Erica looked like he was too disgusted to speak to him and Zoe looked like she was very concerned for him. I was a bit horrified, but this was still the same Mike we all knew, so I decided to speak.

"Hi Mike. Wow, it's very good to see you. Um… how've you been?" I did an internal facepalm at my own comment. He was obviously awful. But after all these years, thinking about our past, I didn't really know what to say.

"Oh my god," he slurred with drunk giggles mixed in, "I am having the TIME OF MY LIFE! You have NO IDEA." Mike was being serious. He seemed to have tricked himself (probably with the drugs and dopamine hits) into thinking he was happy. Based on his tone and body language, he really did believe he was having the time of his life.

"I mean, do you know how much money the league and the team pays me? It's INSANE. I mean, Erica, you probably understand, but Zoe and Ben, it's crazy! I have all the money for the best drugs and booze! Here!"Mike fumbled in the back pocket of his uniform. He produced a small baggie of white powder.

"I just got this amazing cocaine yesterday!" He put some on his hand and snorted it up. All of us instantly recoiled, "Here, try some!" Mike put more on his hand and stuck in right in front of my face. There was no way I was doing that, but luckily, this guy came over and slapped Mike's hand down, spilling the drugs on the ground. Mike pouted at the guy.

"Mike, what did I say about doing this right before a game?" The man spoke to Mike firmly. He was about my age, maybe a few years older. It also seemed like if the ladies in this bar weren't fawning over Mike, they were fawning over this guy. I could see why too. He had dark, styled hair and a short beard. It was perfectly maintained too, not patchy at all. His dark brown eyes were soft and friendly, yet had professionalism in them. He had a masculine jawline and shockingly white teeth. He was also dressed very nicely, with a casual, yet professional suit. I could see why many thought of him as striking.

Mike grumbled and Cameron turned to introduce himself to us.

"Hey guys. Sorry to have to meet you like this. I'm Cameron, Mike's agent and manager." He gave us all a firm handshake. Erica especially smiled when he shook her hand. Cameron gave her a dimpled smile as well. I didn't like it.

"So you were the one who set this all up for us?" Zoe asked in awe.

Cameron laughed, "You mean the hotel and the other stuff? Yeah, that's me."

"Thank you," Erica grinned at him. If I didn't know any better, it sounded like there was a bit of flirtation in her voice. I felt growing resentment for this guy. Cameron checked his phone and sighed.

"Of course. Excuse me, something came up. Mike, we need to talk." Cameron grabbed Mike's upper arm. He already downed another shot of some alcoholic drink while we were talking.

Mike sloppily wiped his face. "Okay. Erica, Zoe, Ben, I look forward to talking to you later. Enjoy the party." And then we were left alone. I thought I saw Erica turn back around to watch Cameron walk away, but that could have been my imagination.

"What now?" I asked, a little anxious. I wasn't one for social events or anything like that. Parties were definitely not my scene.

Erica grinned, carefree and a bit wild, "We party!" She grabbed a drink off some bartender's tray and shoved it in our arms. Then she was gone.

I felt really awkward. I didn't really know what to do. Luckily, Zoe was still there for me.

"Here, Ben, let's go to the bar." Zoe gently grabbed my arm and led me towards this other vast bar seating area. The bar was a tower of a cabinet of drinks, looking around three stories tall.

We shoved people away and finally got two seats at the counter.  
"Not much of a social guy, huh?" Zoe asked me. I barked out a laugh.

"No, definitely not. You?"

Zoe smiled, "Not anymore, but in college that's all I would do. Of course, now it's legal to drink all of this stuff. Takes the fun out of it a little bit."

Zoe ordered us two drinks. I didn't know much about any alcohol, but they were good. We were talking for a while. I hadn't seen much of Erica or Mike the entire night. Finally, after about an hour, maybe an hour and a half, Erica found us. She was obviously a little tipsy.

Some loud songs were playing. Erica danced over to us. She looked very comfortable and in her element right now. Tell me ten years ago she'd be dancing at a party, I'd laugh straight in your face. But with all the Hollywood events she attends, she must have gotten used to the crazy party scene.

"Ben!" Erica yelled over the music, "Dance with me!" I felt my face heat up. If it was a slow dance, I might have been able to figure it out. After all, we were all forced to do ballroom dancing in elementary school. But this was a rap song. You were supposed to hop around and jump to this song. I had no idea what to do and I freaked out. I didn't want to make a fool out of myself in front of Erica.

I tried to smile. It came out weak, "Haha, no thanks Erica. I'm good."

She frowned, "Why not? Dance with me, come'on." Erica grabbed my arm and tried to drag me. I gripped the bar counter well. Some guys near us were looking at me with jealousy in their eyes. And complete shock that I was rejecting the beautiful woman.

"No, I'm not one for dancing." I tried desperately to get out of it. Of course, I was flattered that she asked me. But there was no way I was making an embarrassment of myself in front of her. Plus, I would be more flattered if she asked me sober. She was a bit tipsy right now.

Erica stuck her bottom lip out and pouted. Cameron suddenly appeared out of the crowd and offered a dance. Erica instantly beamed and started dancing with him without even looking back. And Cameron obviously knew what he was doing. They looked really good together. I felt my skin boil. It was my fault it wasn't me dancing with Erica, but my self esteem was low.

Zoe cringed when I turned back around to her. Wordlessly, she shoved a drink in my hand. I downed it quickly.

"What? Are you not into Erica? You're crazy, she's even prettier than she was ten years ago. I thought you guys had a thing!" Zoe looked confused.

"What?" I asked, a little panicked, "Um… I'm into her, I guess. I don't know, I'm still figuring it out." Oh no, I was definitely into her, but I didn't want to come off as desperate to Zoe.

"Then not much of a dancer either?" She said playfully.

I gave her a sad smile, "Nope, never really did it."

"Ben, you've gotta let loose a little. Have some fun. You look great tonight, you just have to open up."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Then we talked more. Zoe and I were at this Hollywood style party and were sitting at the bar talking. I could tell Zoe wanted to get up and have some fun too, but she was being super kind and stayed with me.

After some time, a young guy walked up to us. He was about Zoe's age and super attractive. Zoe seemed super into him too. He asked Zoe for a dance and Zoe apoligzed and was whisked away. I was alone. This reminded me very clearly why I hated parties.

More time passed and Erica and Cameron came back. They didn't speak to me, but sat a few seats down from Zoe's old seat. They seemed to have been together this entire time and were enjoying themselves. It hurt to see. Cameron's back was to me. Erica noticed me and gave me a smile, but I couldn't bring myself to smile back. I was just counting down the time until we all had to leave for the Red Sox game.

Zoe then came back and sat down with a huff. She wasn't too happy.

"What happened?" I asked, handing her a drink. She sipped it.

"That guy I was with had to leave. He was nice and cute too. Not like it was going anywhere or anything, but it's disappointing."

I was happy she was back though so now I didn't look like a total loser.

We were talking and suddenly the bartender interrupted us from behind the counter.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you, but those ladies over there would like to send you a drink." He had a thick Boston accent.

Instinctively, I looked behind me for the person he was talking to. Zoe nudged me with a smile. The bartender laughed a little and gave me a drink and pointed to the women. They were my age and very pretty. They all laughed and waved in a flirty way when I looked over. I held my drink up in thanks. Wow that really boosted my self esteem.

As I was tuning around back to Zoe, I noticed Erica. She was pretending to pay attention to what Cameron was saying by smiling and nodding, but she was really looking at me, and then glared at the women who sent me a drink. I had no idea what to think of that. First she's flirting with Cameron, yet upset that hot women sent me a drink? It was confusing.

"Oooh Ben!" Zoe squealed in delight for me, "They like you! You should go over there to talk to them!"

The tips of my ears turned red, "What? No! I can't do that! I don't know what to talk about!"  
Zoe swatted my arm, "What do you mean? Just go over there, thank them for the drink and let the conversation flow from there! And it looks like those girls will be chatty, so just listen! You got this!"

I started to build myself up. How bad could it be, right? Not bad at all! Plus, they want me to come over this time since they sent me the drink. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

"Okay, you know what? I'll do it!" I started to get up, when the music suddenly shut off. Everyone got quiet. Then we heard a loud microphone screech.

Cameron was standing on the bar with Mike next to him. "Thank you all for coming! Unfortunately, it's about that time. The Red Sox play the Seattle Mariners in an hour and a half and this champ," he pointed to an unstable Mike, "is starting today! So please come and support the team and go to the game! We have complementary limos and buses to take you to the stadium."

Mike grabbed the mic from Cameron, "Go Red Sox!" This really riled the crowd up and everyone cheered. Then everyone, including the girls, rushed towards the exit in hopes to get the limo instead of the buses. There goes my chance.

I was worried how Mike was supposed to play this game. He was super drunk and on some drugs at the moment. How was he supposed to perform well if he was hungover or drunk? But again, this didn't seem like his first time doing this party. Maybe he was used to it?

Zoe grabbed my arm so we could find each other and not get lost in the crowd. We eventually found Erica.

"Quickly, we've got to get a bus!" Zoe said in a hurry.

"Relax," Erica said, "Cameron's having a private driver take us."

Of course he was. I thought. The resentment was growing. Erica seemed really into him. I hated it.

But it was nice having a private driver. Cameron rode with Mike and his team of people, so it was just the three of us. We got to the statum with plenty of time. The chuffier gave us our tickets. I loved baseball growing up, but we never got great seats. Since we knew Mike, I was hoping we were going to get some good seats.  
I was wrong. We got AMAZING seats. Sorry, not seats, BOX. We were sitting in Mike's private box. It was right along left field with a perfect view of the field. Oh and there was a waiter staff with three courses of fancy food brought up. There was inside seating and outdoor. Outdoor was on a balcony type thing with cushioned seats. Indoor could still see the field (it was indoor by a garage door type of thing) and there were TV's showing the game as well. As a baseball fan, this was luxury.

It wasn't just us three up there. I think Mike had some friends who came too. They must have been at the party as well. Mike's entourage was up there too. His public relations manager, his assistant, his assistant manager, all of these people. It reminded me of Erica's staff.

Zoe, Erica and I got seats on the balcony outside. The game was late, but we got heaters so it was nice and warm. I sat between Zoe and Erica. Erica had empty seats next to her.

We loaded our plates with the amazing food and the pregame stuff started. When Mike was called on the field, the Red Sox crowd started to cheer louder than I've ever heard. As a star pitcher and hitter, he was a Red Sox hero. Mike smiled and waved to the crowd. He seemed fine now. It was kinda surreal to see him out there, like a hero, when I knew him in elementary school and saw him pick his boogers.

Cameron then came back. I groaned under my breath. And of course, he occupied the seat next to Erica. I gripped the arm rests so my knuckles turned white.

Instead of focusing on the game, they seemed too focused on their conversation. I tried to focus on the game too, but it was hard too with my jealousy getting the best of me.

It was a rough game for the Red Sox. Nothing on Mike's pitching, but the Mariners were just really good. The crowd eventually started cheering for walks, since the Mariners were getting so many hits.

But then the Red Sox started coming back. They were still losing 4-3 in the fourth inning, but it was getting better. It was getting super exciting. The bases were loaded with a count of three balls and two strikes with two outs. It came down to this pitch to see if they were going to keep it close.

Mike pitched a beautiful curveball, taking the batter by surprise and striking him out. The crowd cheered like they won the World Series. Everyone in the box jumped up and screamed and shouted in celebration. Even Erica jumped up and was really excited. We were all a bit drunk still and screaming and hugging each other. I hugged Zoe and without thinking, turned around and hugged Erica. She hugged me back and then… well… she kissed me on the lips.

It was very brief. We were hugging, then she kissed me. It wasn't even long enough for me to react. I'm not even sure if she knew we did it. After all, I could taste the alcohol on her lips. Erica didn't even acknowledge it after, she just hugged Cameron and sat back down and watched intently. But I certainly remembered it. It was wonderful and scary. If we weren't surrounded and in such close quarters with a bunch of people, I would talk to her.

Throughout the next innings, I was waiting for her to talk to me about it, but she didn't. Erica did start shifting in her seat closer to Cameron though. She and him were talking a lot. It hurt even more. You're gonna kiss me and not even say anything, yet go back to talking with Cameron? That's why I don't think she realized she did it.

The Red Sox were getting a nice streak in the six and seventh inning. But bottom of the seventh, the Mariners started getting a rally. Hit after hit after hit. The score was 6-3. It came down to this play to see if they had a chance at winning. It was the same count as last time; three balls, two strikes, two outs. But this time it was bases loaded. If it was a strike, they're out of the inning. But if it was a ball, they'd walk a runner in for the point, and get farther away from the Mariners and a victory. Mike pitched the ball. It was a screwball and hit the catcher's glove. The batter didn't even swing. I started to cheer, but then realized I was the only one. I quickly sat down in embarrassment.

"Hold your horses, Ben," Cameron said, "It looked like a strike, but we don't know yet."

They put the play under review. Mike looked frustrated. I could see anger building inside of him. He looked like he was ready to yell at someone.

"Calm down Mike," I heard his PR manager whisper to himself.

"The ruling on the field is… a ball!" The umpire said, voice ringing around the statum. Immediately, the crowd starts boo-ing. The Mariners got another run, pulling farther away from the Red Sox.

But no one was focused on that. We were all watching Mike. He looked REALLY pissed and stormed over to the umpire and started yelling at him.

This sent the box into a frenzy, with all of Mike's people already trying to draft PR damage control. But they weren't ready for what Mike did next. Mike charged full speed at the umpire and leaped right on top of him, tackling him to the ground. Everyone in the entire statum stopped. It was quiet. Mike's people looked so shocked, they couldn't move. And then like a switch was turned on, the entourage erupted into chaos. Managers were on the phone, they were yelling at people, they were running. Cameron swore under his breath and told us in a hurry,

"Sorry guys we have to deal with this. We'll send someone here to take you back to the hotel. We'll contact you later when we have more information."

He paused as we watched security drag Mike off the field.

Cameron sighed, "I have a feeling this has something to do with the drugs and alcohol he consumed today. Erica, it was a real pleasure to meet you. All of you, in fact." He gave a weak smile. I wasn't even jealous of his words. I was just concerned for Mike and his career. This was and is still his dream job.

"Is Mike going to be okay?" Zoe asked quietly.

"I don't know yet I'll let you now when I do. Please enjoy the rest of the game. I'm sorry this happened. Talk to you soon." With that, Cameron rushed out of the box. Stress was already clear on his perfectly sculpted face.

After that incident, the game tried to resume as normal. It was on everyone's mine though. Most of the crowd loved it, so that they could post it or whatever. We tried to enjoy ourselves in the box, but it was hard to. We were all very concerned about Mike.

I thought about bringing up the kiss. But then I realized that it was probably very insensitive to do so. I had to sit on it for awhile, at least until morning.

The game finally ended at around one or two in the morning. I was exhausted. A man got us from the box and took us to his town car. We were all so tired emotionally and physically that the drive was silent. When we got back to the hotel, it was relatively quiet. Even though it was very early, there were still a small group of people in the lobby.

With dread, I realized I recognized someone in that group of businessmen and women.

"Cam!" Erica called out when she realized it was him. They were all in a huddle in the lobby. I think those were mostly Mike's people. Mike was nowhere to be found.

Cameron turned and walked over to us. He tried to give us a smile, but it didn't work. It was weak. He looked stressed and concerned beyond belief.

"How's it looking?" I asked him.

He gave a big sigh, "Not too great. The board is having a big meeting here in this hotel to determine Mike's fate in the morning. Since it was such a late game, we all decided to stay here for the meeting. Mike's already in his room. We're doing some late-night prep for tomorrow. We're wrapping it up now, though."

We nodded. I would want to stay and hear more, but I was way too exhausted for this. I wanted to go to bed.

Zoe, Erica and I left Cameron to finish up. We all rode the elevator to our rooms. We mumbled a good night and retired to our respective rooms. I was trying to get ready for bed, but my mind was distracted. I couldn't get the kiss out of my head. Knowing I wasn't going to be able to sleep well if this wasn't resolved, I decided to go and seek out Erica, to get the truth. Was it a I-have-some-feelings-for-you-kiss or a I-was-drunk-and-not-really-thinking kiss? I had to know.

Gathering my courage, I left my room. My room was closest to the elevator, then was Zoe's and Erica's farthest away. Since the rooms were giant, the front doors to the rooms were very spread out. In fact, Erica's front door was round a corner.

I approached the turn and when I did, I almost fainted in shock. Cameron was pinning Erica against her door and they were passionately making out. They both seemed to be enjoying it a lot.

Fury was building up inside of me. I had my answer all right. I spun on my heel and rushed back to my room before they knew I was there and before things got more physical. I slammed my door to my room, and swore off Erica for good.


	17. Chapter17

**I feel so bad that it's been so long haha. Here's a double update!! Chapter 17 and 18. So sorry for the wait, but please enjoy!**

I woke up cranky. Who could blame me? After witnessing that disturbing scene, I immediately fled back to my room. There was no way I was going to get in between that and I most definity didn't want to talk to Erica after that. No way. If she wants to be a jerk and kiss me and then make out with Cameron, she could do what she wants. I don't care anymore.

It was 9:30 in the morning. At around 9:45, Zoe called my room. She said she and Erica were heading downstairs for breakfast if I wanted to join them. So I got dressed and headed to the breakfast area. I had absolutely no intention whatsoever to speak to Erica.

I got down there and it was FANCY. It was traditional breakfast buffet style, but all the foods were fancy, posh breakfast foods (like instead of an omelet, it was an egg white omelet with filet mignon chunks). But I was living it up right now, so I loaded my plate with the food and went to find Zoe and Erica.

They were sitting towards the back of the dining area. Zoe looked tired and Erica looked completely normal. As much as I said I didn't care, I was super curious if Erica and Cameron spent the night together. But Erica has no indication of such, so I had no idea. Plus, she didn't look hungover either, so that makeout session was definitely not a result of a drunk night, at least on Erica's part. I felt disappointed before I could stop myself.

"Good morning, Ben," Erica said politely. She was acting like nothing was different, like nothing unusual happened the night before. She didn't know that I saw her either, so I was debating whether I should come clean and look like a creep, or sit on it a while longer. I was going to sit on it, at least until I saw Cameron.

I responded to Erica with a gruff, "Morning." She gave me a confused judgemental side eye, but I ignored it. Zoe gave me a bit of a dirty look too, with the way I was acting. If only she knew. The rest of breakfast was pretty quiet; Zoe led the conversation with talk about the weather or the news or something. I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention. I was studying Erica for behavior cues about last night, but I was getting none. I found it kinda rude that Erica was mentioning the kiss to me. Why wouldn't she address that? But there was no way I was going to bring it up after last night. Was I being a little bit petty? Maybe. I don't care.

When we were about wrapping up, the devil himself approached the table. I couldn't hide my hatred towards him. I gave him a dirty look when he came over.

"Good morning, everyone!" Cameron said cheerfully, "How did you all sleep?" Oh how did you sleep with Erica? I couldn't help thinking.

"Good!" Zoe said with matched enthusiasm, "The beds are so big and comfy!"

I was really focusing on Erica right now. She had no visible reaction to Cameron approaching the table at all. She was also not paying much attention to him either. It didn't seem like it was in hatred or glee, just in boredom. A waiter mine as well have approached the table. It was the same reaction. Erica was excited, angry or happy or anything at Cameron here. That was interesting.

Cameron also had no reaction to Erica either. He was acting like nothing had happened. But Cameron wasn't really looking at Erica. It wasn't like he was avoiding looking at her, but he was definitely not seeking her attention. Based on this, I'm 99% sure they didn't sleep together last night. Thank god. I would not have been able to handle that.

He laughed. "I'm glad you liked the room. They're nice, aren't they? I'm so sorry to have to ask this of you but will you please join me in conference room B? I just finished a meeting with Mike and the MLB and they just decided what to do with him. He would like to tell you the news. Follow me."

As much as I hated Cameron, I really wanted to see what happened to Mike. I had no doubt he was in big trouble, but the question was how big of trouble was he in. We all stood up and started following Cameron. Erica was standing next to him. Cameron kept looking over at Erica, like he wanted to say something, but was scared too. He obviously wanted Erica to notice him doing that and wanted her to start the conversation. She noticed him, but chose to ignore it. I didn't seem like it was in anger or spite or anything; she was just pretending to be oblivious. Interesting. Zoe remained oblivious to the entire thing, however, as she was going on about the great rest she had last night. I'm glad someone got good sleep.

We got to conference room B. As we were walking in, a tide of suits filed out of the room, most with grim looks on their face. I could take that as a bad sign. Mike was sitting at the middle table with his people surrounding him, asking questions or for approval or whatever, He looked very overwhelmed. But when Cameron entered the room with us, they dispersed and left the room. It was just us five.

Mike looked like absolute crap though. It was worse than yesterday, if that's even possible. It looked like he hadn't slept a wink the entire night. It also looked like he drank a lot after the game. His hair was a mess and he had dark circles under his eyes. And his eyes looked completely lifeless. His suit was all wrinkled, like he just threw it on. Cameron's suit however was nicely pressed and steamed.

Zoe looked at him with concern, like a mother looking at her son, "Oh my gosh, Mike, are you okay?" She sat next to him and laid a hand on his back. Mike was hunched over the table.

"No," he cried miserably, "My career is over!"

"Not yet," Cameron reminded him gently, in a comforting way, "You're suspended, on paid leave for now. You have two months and then if you pass a drug and alcohol test, you're back in. Mike, the Red Sox still want you. You've done so much for the team. You just need to get your life together right now."

He shook his head, "The fans and the team hate me! I can't go back!"

"Mike," I started sympathetically, "I'm here for you, man. I am." I felt so bad for Mike. Yes, it was his fault he was in this mess and I should have been glad that karma finally caught up to him. But I wasn't. Mike's still my childhood best friend. We learned how to ride our bikes together, we played the first season of little league together and we were there for each other through the bad times. I wasn't going to stop that now.

"Ben," he said looking up at me with empty eyes, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry man." He took a deep breath.

"I was a complete jerk to you in high school. Once boarding school was over, I was too focused on popularity and my baseball career to think of anything else. I know I completely ditched you and I know how sh*tty that was. I left my best friend and all these years I was too ashamed to reach out to you. I'm sorry, man, I truly am."

Cameron backed out of the room, looking uncomfortable with Mike's sudden emotion, "Um... it seems like you guys need to talk in private. I'll see you later." He left and shut the door.

I was taken by surprise at this too. What Mike just said was something I dreamed of hearing him say. I hated the rift that came between us. I wanted things to go back to normal. I immediately forgave him. It seems like reality (instead of drugs) just slapped him in the face, hard.

"Mike, I've missed you, man. I forgive you. It's okay, I'm here for you." He smiled and got up to hug me.

"I don't know what to do. I just got suspended from my dream job. It hurts. I need to turn my life around." Mike admitted to all of us.

Erica nodded in agreement, "And since you're suspended, we have a proposition for you." Erica then proceeds to explain the Joshua Duncan/Hallal thing to him. This brightened Mike up and he listened attentively. After she was done, Erica asked if he was in.

He thought for a short time, but then smiled, "Yes. Yes, I'm in. This should be good for me. I'll remember the good old days and that'll hopefully get me out of this funk. And get me off drugs. It'll be great."

Erica smiled, "Great! We're glad to hear that!" For some reason, that last comment sent me. I think I was boiling, and I was finally boiling over.

I scoffed really loudly, in a mocking tone. All heads swung towards me.

Erica glared at me from across the table, "Excuse me? Something wrong?"

"Yeah, something's wrong!" I snapped bitterly, "It's not we. You're acting like this was your idea and your plan, like you always used to do. It was my idea and my plan!" It wasn't really about that, I'm sure we all know what it was really about.

Erica rolled her eyes, which fueled my agitation, "Oh I'm sorry," she said sarcastically, "It was all Ben's idea. Pardon me."

Zoe could sense something was happening and tried to intervene, "It's okay, I'm sure Mike knew what you were talking about."

"Yeah, Ben, seriously," she said, acting like I was being ridiculous, "No need to make it a big deal."

That really sent me over the edge. I guess now is as good as any time to have this conversation.

"No need to make it a big deal?" I snarled, "That's really funny coming from you. Because nothing is a big deal to you, isn't that right, Erica?"

She looked shocked. Mike and Zoe did too. "Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You're gonna kiss me and pretend like nothing happened?" I barked back. Zoe looked shocked and Mike gasped. I'm pretty sure he was grinning a little bit too, like he found this amusing.

She threw her arms up with a scoff, "So this is what the cold shoulder this morning is about, huh? I give you a little peck for not even a full second when I was excited? I'm sorry, okay? Trust me, I had NO romantic intention behind it. I was swept up in the excitement of that play and hugged and kissed you without thinking about it. I'm sorry I didn't make a big deal out of it for you! I'm so sorry! And look, if you're making it such a big deal, I'm guessing you haven't been kissed much in these last ten years. You know what Ben?" She asked, rambling on. I was so angry I could hardly see.

"I don't know how to get it through your head that this isn't ten years ago. This isn't too teenagers by the lake, sitting on the log. My life changed drastically in these ten years. I gave you a tiny little peck at the game yesterday. I was into the game, and I guess I did that. But you know what? There were no romantic thoughts behind that kiss whatsoever and that's why I didn't make a big deal of it. I just gave you a small little kiss and I'm so sorry that you thought it was more. It was nothing."

"Like the kisses you gave Cameron last night?" I accused, very calmly.

This shocked Erica to silence. Her mouth parted slightly and was blindsided by the comment. Zoe gapsed really loudly and Mike looked excited, like he was watching a soap opera.

Before Erica had a chance to respond, Zoe butted in with, "Ben, you spied on Erica last night? Despite whatever she did or didn't do, that's not cool."

"Ben, what the hell? You were spying on me?" Erica now, instead of being annoyed, looked furious. I was in trouble.

"Erica, you made out with my agent? Ha!" Mike barked out a laugh. He found this whole thing amusing.

"So you're telling me you were spying on me last night? Is that why you've been bitter all morning?!" Erica yelled at me.

"Well, I don't appreciate you kissing me, and then making out with Cameron hours later! That seems rude and disrespectful to me!"

"Ben!" Erica cried out, completely exasperated, "You cannot be serious right now! Look, I can make out with whoever I want! I am twenty six years old! I am an adult and I don't need you telling me who I can or can't kiss. Ben, you're acting like we are in a relationship. We. Are. Not. We might have had a thing for each other ten years ago. Did you really think I haven't made out with anyone else since then? If you haven't, then I think that's your problem more than it is my problem. I can make my own decisions and you can't get mad everytime I do!"

Unfortunately, I understood what she was saying, and she was right, for the most part. I was hurt. I wanted to be, I guess, special? I don't know, I was confused.

I calmed down significantly, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I spied on you, I'm sorry I got mad, okay? But why? Why did you make out with him?"

Erica then paused at this question. Not because it was a weird one (although it was). But like she was thinking. Debating something in her head. She finally put up her cold facade again and said,

"I don't need to explain myself to you, but I did it because he's hot and I wanted to." Erica said icily.

Mike finally couldn't keep it in any longer. He burst out laughing, "HAHAHA Erica you made out with Cameron last night?! Oh my god that's hilarious! And you think he's hot?! HAHAHAHA!"

And of course, Cameron chose this moment to walk back in. Erica's face turned bright red and she grabbed Mike's arm and twisted it hard. He stopped laughing immediately.

"Wait, did I hear this right?" Cameron asked with a sly smirk, "Erica, you think I'm hot?"

She pulled a disgusted face and said "Oh god, no, absolutely not. You're crazy. And get out!" Erica yelled the last part and Cameron left the room again, his face fell.

"Look," she hissed at all of us, "Let's leave what we said in this room here. We won't speak of it out of this room. Mistakes were made. You know what? I'm done." She tapped away on her phone. The rest of us sat in silence.

"We're heading to Nebraska. Flight leaves in three hours. Pack your things." She stood up and we followed.

"Wha-why?" Zoe asked.

"We want to solve this whole Joshua thing right? Well, we have to go to the source. Joshua Duncan replaced Mark Dazy's spot in the House of Representatives. Mark died at home in Nebraska while Joshua was present. That can't be a coincidence. We're going to the root of the situation: Mark's death. To see if there was any foul play."

That made sense. We all packed our bags and said brief goodbyes (luckily, Erica was embarrassed at what Cameron overheard that she didn't say bye to him). We were off to the airport.


	18. Chapter18

**Part 2 of the double update!!**

We headed to the airport. We didn't really talk that much, as Erica was still mad at me and I was still mad at her. Poor Mike and Zoe were stuck in between us, like two feuding parents and their kids. Mike, Cameron and his team made a collective decision to throw out all alcohol and drugs in a quest to get Mike off those awful substances. He was already showing some minor withdrawal symptoms. The drive was tense, but everyone was putting their differences aside for the benefit of the mission.

We got to the airport just in time. Downtown Boston traffic was a nightmare. It was only 40 minutes until takeoff and they were boarding. We were waiting in line to board with our boarding passes and luggage when Mike suddenly whispered to me,

"I have an awful stomach ache. I have to go to the bathroom." I looked at him in panic. We were supposed to be boarding now. And I knew this would add to Erica's annoyance. She and Zoe were a few feet away, talking.

"Can you go on the plane?" I hissed at him.

He shook his head vigorously, "It's too small for me to do my business in there. And I don't want everyone to judge me." I already dreaded telling Erica.

"Fine, hurry up. You've better let Zoe and Erica know. And hurry up so we don't miss our flight." He nodded and scurried over to the girls. He delivered the news very sheepishly and I could see Erica's eyes narrow in barely concealed annoyance. Zoe looked concerned about missing the flight. I hung back a few seconds after Mike left before approaching them.

Zoe looked stressed, "They're doing group C right now. After this is the final boarding call. If Mike doesn't get back here in the next like five minutes, we're gonna miss the flight." She tapped her foot rapidly. Erica didn't look stressed, just annoyed. She wasn't looking at me right now at all. She was pretending I wasn't there.

"Final boarding call," the gate attendant said pleasantly, "This is the final boarding call for flight 492 with non-stop service to Nebraska."

This definitely did not help Zoe with her nerves, "Where is he?!" She looked around frantically.

"We are missing Zoe Andrews, party of four. Zoe Andrews, party of four, please come to Gate A9." The gate agent said calmly.

Zoe was getting frantic, "I'll go up to the gate and try to stall them. Ben, you go find Mike. Erica, come with me. They might hold off for a while if they knew you were a celebrity."

Erica frowned at this, "I'm not going to abuse my fame like that. Plus, I don't want everyone here to know who I am. It would only make it worse. Mike better hurry his ass up."

Zoe exhaled, "Fine, whatever. Ben, go find Mike! Erica, watch the luggage." With that, Zoe rushed to the ticket counter.

I ran to find Mike. I went into the mens restroom and didn't see him washing his hands, so he must be in the stall. Luckily, there weren't too many people in there, so I felt comfortable calling out.

"Mike! Come'on man, we're gonna miss the flight! Hurry up! Zoe is gonna kill you!"

I heard vomiting from a stall and what seemed like attempts at words. I approached the stall. I tapped on it lightly, "Mike?" The retching continued. I leaped back in disgust.

"Ben?" I heard Mike say weakly within the stall, "I'm so sorry." I approached the stall once more.

"You good?" I asked, then realizing it was a stupid question. He was obviously not good.

"N-no," he coughed, "I must be having withdrawal from the drugs I've been doing. I've never been away this long from tobacco or nicotine in a long time."

I winced in sympathy. Throwing up was awful, no matter why it was happening. It wouldn't help him to stress him out. Whatever happens, happens. I left him to vomit in peace and exited the bathroom to find two very pretty, yet pissed women. Zoe had a scowl on her face that I recognized she reserved for terrorists and bad guys back in the day. I was not looking forward to this conversation.

"We missed our flight." Zoe said, almost deadpan. She glowered at me like it was my fault.

"I'm sorry. Mike is busy heaving his guts out. Apparently its drug withdrawal symptoms. Nothing we can do I guess." I shrugged.

Erica glared at me with cold eyes, "He shouldn't have been doing those stupid drugs anyway. Now we missed the flight." Her words seemed like she was mad at Mike, but I had a feeling that her anger was directed more at me.

"I worked it out with that annoyingly perky desk attendant. We're taking the next flight out in three hours. There's no point in leaving the terminal. Let's just get some food and wait it out." Zoe was still angry.

We sat in silence until Mike came back out around ten minutes later. Lucky for him, he was spared the lecture (I guess they got their irritation out on me) and just got the silent treatment from them. He looked like he felt bad, but I didn't blame him for anything. It wasn't really his fault.

We went to this restaurant sports bar next to our gate. It was way overpriced, but the burger was delicious. We sat in relative silence, as there was a lot of tension in the air. There was baseball on the TV. It was two teams I didn't care about, but Mike was watching the TV longingly. It was evident he missed the sport and was really reflecting about what went wrong. Hopefully, that was enough for him to rethink his decisions and change things when he gets back.

Suddenly, in the middle of the game, the TV switched itself to the news. It said BREAKING NEWS. The news said the plane that we were supposed to be on, the plane to Nebraska, the one that left only an hour and a half ago, crashed. The entire terminal was gathered around the TV. Nervous whispers were around us. Apparently, that plane, for some reason, had little to no fuel when it took off. The sensors and the crew didn't check it properly and the attendant on the tarmac said it was fine. The plane had enough fuel to get to cruising altitude and then started plummeting to the ground. The pilot had no idea what was going on since the sensor was broken. Luckily, the pilots managed to get control of the plane when it was almost at the ground, and they managed to glide the plane to a stop. The wheels still dug feet into the ground of this Kansas farm and got stuck. No one was hurt, thank god. Coincidently, the attendant who said the fuel levels were fine was missing.

Everyone was freaking out, wondering what could have happened. But we knew. And I was really freaking out.

"You know what this means right?" Erica whispered at us. She oddly didn't look very concerned. She looked more excited.

"Yeah! We almost died!" Zoe informed her sharply.

Mike beamed, "I guess my vomiting was worth it after all!" We all gave him a disgusted look.

"No," Erica grinned, "It means we're on the right track! Joshua, or whoever he works for, tried to kill us! This means the mission is real and dangerous. It means this is not a waste of time!"

"Glad that's your biggest concern right now," I muttered.

"Yeah, it also means someone tried to kill us! This is not like ten years ago, Erica! I have a family that relies on me!" Zoe looked wary of all of this. I could see where she was coming from. Once you have someone that relies on you, it changes your whole perspective in life. Man, when I had this fish, I was the most careful person in the world.

"Relax," Erica dismissed, "We've dodged death many times. Who says we won't this time?" Zoe gave her a horrified look.

We were already on edge so we were super startled when this ringtone went off really loudly. We checked our phones and realized it was Erica. Not many people have her number, so it was surprising that it was hers. I looked at the caller ID. It was Scott, Erica's assistant. She sighed and picked it up.

"Hi Scott. This better be good, I thought I told you not to call unless it was an emergency."

His voice was hesitant on the phone, "I know, I know, I'm so sorry. It's just the credit card company called. It said there was suspicious activity on your card. Did you purchase four tickets from Bravo Airlines to go to Nebraska? I just want to make sure that it wasn't someone who stole your card. In case I need to cancel the card."

"Oh yeah, that's me. Thanks for checking up," she said casually.

Relief was clear in Scott's voice, "Okay, good. I hoped it wasn't some hacker while you were on your trip. Wait…" he trailed off like he was reading something, "Oh my god! Are you okay?! Are you on the flight that just crashed?! The notification just popped up! Are you okay?!"

Erica rolled her eyes in good nature, "Yeah, Scott, I'm fine. How would I be calling you if I was in some crashed plane in Kansas? We were supposed to be on the flight, but this dipstick I'm with was throwing up."

There was slight hesitation in his voice, probably from the relief or shock of how close she was, "Well that's good! Really, really good. I'm very glad you're not dead. So who threw up? Was it Ben?"

She looked a little surprised at that question but laughed, "As surprising as it sounds, no, it wasn't him. It was his friend."

Surprising? Excuse me?

"Wait there's more of you?" He said jokingly. Zoe was still shaken up about the whole almost-died-in-a-plane-accident thing. She was gesturing wildly at Erica to get her off the phone.

Erica said bye and hung up the phone, looking quite confused at the hand motions, "What?"

Zoe looked like she was having a minor panic attack, "We almost died and you're gonna go talk on the phone casually with your assistant? Don't we need a plan? Joshua knows we were here! More importantly, he knows where we are going. Doesn't that freak you out?"

Well, when she puts it that way, I guess that is terrifying.

"I'm obviously not going to make a scene," Erica lowered her voice, "We're surrounded by these tourists and travelers. Any one of them could be a mole. We can talk when we have more privacy."

"Until then?" Mike asked, looking a bit worried himself.

"We lay low. Changes are they weren't planning on you being a crackhead and throwing up. They can't sabotage every plane. And the airport is going to be much more careful after that accident. We're going to be okay, at least until Nebraska." Erica smiled, unaffected.

Mike somehow found pride in that dig, "But me being a crackhead saved us! So there!"

"That's not something you should be proud of, buddy," I said, patting his arm. Zoe nodded in agreement. Erica smirked.

Finally, it was time for our flight to board. It was a red eye flight, at eleven at night. It was going to take about five hours. A great amount of time to sleep on the flight. I was blessed with the ability to sleep on airplanes, a gift not everyone has.

For the first time traveling with Erica, we weren't in first class. There weren't too many people on the red eye flight, but first class was still full. It would be nice to sleep in those large, luscious seats, but I didn't mind flying economy at all. I was in no way used to first class yet.

The plane was half empty to Nebraska at 11pm so Mike and I sat together and Erica and Zoe sat in front of us. Once the pilot turned the cabin lights out, I was asleep, reclined in my seat.

Unfortunately, my gift of sleeping on the airplane is pointless if I'm sitting next to a sleeping water buffalo. Gosh, had Mike always snored this loud? I don't remember him sounding like this during all the elementary school sleepovers. All that tar must be ruining his lungs to make him the loudest snorer ever. I had only gotten around an hour of sleep.

I was going to try to go back to sleep, when I heard a hushed conversation in front of us. I wasn't one to eavesdrop, but I was too curious, especially when Zoe asks Erica,

"So Cameron, really?" Zoe asked, sounding very eager for some tea. Erica didn't seem too keen on the conversation though.

"I thought we agreed not to talk about this anymore. And plus it's like one in the morning. I'm tired and I want to go to sleep a little bit." Erica closed her eyes, but she wasn't fooling anyone.

"Come'on Erica!" Zoe whined with a smile, "If anyone should hook up with Cameron, it's me. I should be having the mid-mid-life crisis with my husband cheating on me and all. You would be the last person I'd expect to do something like that."

Erica turned to her, "Okay, first, hold on. I never hooked up with Cameron. That's disgusting. Two, I'm not having a mid-life crisis. Don't tell me you've never gotten drunk and made out with someone or hooked up with someone. Everyone does it."

"I did in college. And you weren't drunk last night. I could tell. And you only made out? For some reason I don't believe you." Zoe grinned mischievously.

Erica groned a little bit. Zoe was wearing her down, "No, Zoe, we didn't hook up. We made out in front of my door. And then he came inside,"

I felt my whole body heat up in jealousy. They hung out after in her room?

"And we drank and ate food from the mini-bar. Then I kicked him out." Erica finished.

Zoe looked at her suspiciously, "You made out, drank and ate out the mini bar and then you kicked him out? Then why'd you do it?"

Erica looked at Zoe, contemplating her answer, "Why does everyone think I have alternative motives? Why couldn't I just make out with him?"

"That does not sound like you at all. You met someone hours ago and suddenly you're making out with them? And you still didn't answer my question."

"How do you know what sounds like me?" Erica countered, "We haven't seen each other in years. I've been to my share of parties where that stuff happens all the time."

"But not with you," Zoe predicted. Erica's face showed that she was right.

"You don't know that." Erica said. She was still avoiding Zoe's question of why.

"Fine," Zoe said, knowing if Erica didn't want to say anything, she wasn't going to, "then what do you want out of it? Like are you ready for a relationship?"

Erica whirled on Zoe, "What do you mean? That came out of nowhere."

"Like are you ready to have a boyfriend or even a husband?" Zoe explained.

"If it's the right person, I don't mind having a light fling with a guy. But I am not ready for a husband at all. Not for a long time, maybe even never."

Zoe looked a bit surprised. I wasn't. Erica barely let herself have friends for the first sixteen years of her life. She has definitely changed overtime, but not this drastically I'd assume.

"Why? The family life is great. Having someone you could rely and trust for the rest of your life," Zoe's words got caught in her throat as a little sob escaped. She must be thinking of Kurt again, "Is a wonderful thing, if it works out right."

Erica softened. She handed Zoe a tissue, "I guess you're right, if the marriage works out correctly. But look at you and Kurt. No offense, but that marriage went to hell. You deserve much more than him. And look at my parents for example. Their entire marriage was built on lies. I'm not sure I want to deal with all of that."

"Ben is." Was all Zoe said. I closed my eyes, just in case they caught me eavesdropping but my heart was racing a hundred miles a minute. What did she mean by that?

"What?" Erica said, as confused as I was.

"I think Ben is. I can tell. He's ready for a serious relationship, possibly even a marriage." Zoe stated.

I thought about this for a second. Was I? I was never the one to date around, or date, period. If I found the right person, I guess… wow. I guess Zoe is right. If I find the right person, a person that was in love with me and I was in love with them, I wouldn't wait. I wouldn't stall until we were older. I'd probably propose. I've wanted to settle down, plant roots. I was ready to commit to someone if they are the one for me. That was a scary thought, but Zoe was right.

"How do you know?" Erica scoffed, "Ben hasn't even dated for a long time. How would he be ready?"

"I think he is. I can just tell. But that's not what you want." Zoe concluded.

"Zoe, if this is a ploy to set us up together, it's not going to work. I'm still mad that he was spying on me like a creep."

"To be fair, that's what being a spy is about. Spying." Zoe said smartly.

Erica's face hardened, "I'm not a terrorist. That was for no reason."

"Maybe there is a reason," Zoe interjected, "Maybe he likes you."

Erica shook her head, "Ben does not like me." When she said this, it made me wonder. Do I like Erica? Well of course I like her as a friend. But more than that? I definitely did ten years ago. I was head over heels for her. But now? I don't know.

"Are you blind? Of course he does!" Zoe said.

"No, I don't think he does. He might be tricking himself into liking me, but I don't think he does. He finds me pretty, sure. But this isn't a romantic type of 'liking me'. It's like he has a crush. If anything, Bne likes me because of the time we spent together at Spy School. He's reminiscing about what we used to have more than realizing his feelings now. And Ben and I are such different people now. He's an accountant in DC, I'm a celebrity in Hollywood. Things don't get more different than that."

"Being different can work in a relationship. Like peanut butter and jelly. You can cancel each other out. Trust me, if you're the same, it won't always work out. Take me and Kurt. In college, everyone said we were perfect for each other since we were practically the same person, but then you know how that turned out."

"Peanut butter and jelly?" Erica smirked, "You're used to talking to three year olds. And you are not the same person as Kurt. You're way better than him."

"I'm just saying to keep an open mind about Ben. You might be perfect for each other," Zoe nudged her.

"Look, Zoe," Erica said, and she lowered her voice. I could barely hear them, "Don't tell Ben this, but I honestly don't think we're meant for each other. At school, it was fun and we had just gotten off a mission and we were all spies I can't pick up where I left off with Ben. That'll take a long time, and he seems ready to commit. I'm not. If it works out that we are meant for each other, then I'll give it a chance. But we've been arguing and not on the same page this entire time, from the moment he came to my house. He's been more aggressive than I remember, although he's getting better now. I don't know Zoe, we'll see. I'm not ready to put in all the effort it would take for us to be together."

There was a pause on Zoe's end while she contemplated Erica's answer. I eagerly awaited her answer. But before she could, there was a giant snort that sounded like a trunk honk. Yay. Mike was awake.

"Oh my god! Ben, I had the greatest rest I've ever had on a plane! You should sleep! It feels so nice, you have no idea." Mike yaned and wiped his eyes.

"Don't worry, I tried," I muttered under my breath. They stopped talking once they realized that Mike was awake. Zoe went to sleep and I tried to go back to sleep again.

After about a half an hour after trying, I was getting nowhere. Mike could tell and we started talking quietly.

"So, man, how've you been?" Mike asked, popping a peanut in his mouth.  
Everything happened so fast, I never got a chance to catch up with Mike. I was worried it would be awkward after how we left things, but we fell back into our old ways. I'm glad; I couldn't have handled yet another Erica type fiasco.

I explained to Mike everything that had happened, even during high school. We really needed this time to see what went wrong. I did play down how much he hurt me in high school though. When he ditched me for the popular kids, the athletes like himself, the girls and the parties, it completely crushed me. I was too hung up on him to see the opportunities to make friends that were right in front of me, like the guys from the math and chess club. That was my fault. In a way, I guess this might be what was happening with Erica. I've been hung up on her for ten years. Maybe I missed opportunities to fall in love and get a girlfriend if I wasn't so stuck in the past.

I went on to explain how I went to college while he was recruited to the AAA then eventually the major leagues. I barely spoke to him during this time. I'd see him on the news and congratulate him, and he'd rely with 'thx'. And then he changed his number. I talked about the boring corporate job I got and most recently, how I got kicked out of my apartment. As I went on telling Mike how sad my life was, I felt him getting guilty and guilty for ditching me. I hadn't meant for him to feel that way, but it was good for him to know what his decisions did to me.

But then it was Mike's turn. He opened up about how he felt stressed in high school with sports and how he missed the spy life . He also told me how he felt stressed about somehow letting it slip about spy school. When he started gaining national fame with baseball in college, that affected his schoolwork as he spent hours afterschool on training rather than academics. Mike struggled to keep his C average and on top of all of this, he was gaining schoolwide popularity because everyone wanted to be friends with the "Most Promising High School Baseball Player" (according to Sports Illustrated). And that just added pressure to be the best and not let anyone down. Coming from Mike, I could see his side of the story much more clearly. I thought that he was just one of the cool kids now, and they don't give a crap about anything, but Mike was under a lot more stress than it looked like. And once he graduated, he worked his ass off in AAA to get drafted for a star position on the Red Sox, one of the greatest and hardest achievements as a twenty year old. Mike was already pitching and a starting hitter, something almost unheard of, especially for someone that young. After a few seasons, that's when he really got into drugs and drinking. Sure, the team did a little bit of chewing tobacco and whatnot, but Mike got into the really serious stuff. His career was taking off when he became a super-addict. He told me his justification for all this junk was that he worked so hard, sometimes eighteen hours a day, for the last twelve years, and now that he finally made it, he deserved to enjoy himself. After he said it, however, he realized,

"I just threw it all away," Mike had a faraway look in his eyes, "I can't believe I just did that. I prioritized some powdery substance before my dream job and all that hard work I put in."

Mike was talking to himself more than he was talking to me. This was good for him. It was like an intervention. I'm glad he was stepping back and seeing everything from an outsider's perspective. He was quiet for about ten minutes after that, lost in his thoughts.

There was only an hour left in our flight. Mike regained his thoughts and we went on to talking about life. He asked me about my parents and the store while I asked him about how his little brother was doing. It was nice to talk with Mike and reminisce about our childhood.

Before we knew it, we were landing. There was a time difference from Nebraska to Massachsutes (Boston is an hour ahead of Nebraska) so it was 4 am Boston time, or 3 am local time. We were are super tired since we really didn't get much sleep but we got a rental car and went to our hotel. The options were very limited, as it was all rural country town around here. There were farms farther than the eye can see. Our only two options were a sketchy Motel 6 or a local, sweet motel.

We got two rooms in the family-owned motel. Erica may have said something about going to the Dazy's farm (it was only fifteen minutes away) and scoping the place out, but I wasn't paying that much attention. I was barely capable of keeping my eyes open. I don't remember much, all I remember was laying down on a bed, and exhaustion taking over me, plunging me into deep sleep.


	19. Chapter19

**Ahhhh I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long!! I'm trying to get better haha. Online school is SUCH a drag and we're reading The Great Gatsby and it's so boring and the last thing I want to do most nights is to sit down and write. Literature takes up like half my day ugh. I just wrote an essay yesterday so I wasn't too keen on writing MORE haha. I honestly don't understand why teachers expect us to do DOUBLE what we normally do in class because we're doing online school. They know we have lots of work for our other SIX classes right?? Okay I'm ranting now. Please enjoy! :) Oh also, if you want a refresher on all of the plot drama, re-read Chapter 3. It's pretty detailed in that chapter and a lot of it applies in this chapter.**

I woke up to light streaming through the dirty blinds. After taking a few seconds to realize I was in the motel, I sat up and I heard the shower running in the bathroom. Mike's suitcase was on the other queen bed. I rubbed my eyes and groaned, letting my head fall back on the pillow.

I ended up just laying there for a few minutes. These last few days have been feet on the gas the entire time. I was beyond exhausted. I finally dragged myself out of bed when Mike exited the bathroom looking refreshed and clean. I took a nice warm shower and freshened up. It felt really nice.

While I got ready, Erica and Zoe were in the room with us. It was really late in the morning, like eleven am, since we were all so tired. I think Zoe and Erica got some food from this nearby diner so there was some really good breakfast. After we ate, Erica reminded us of the situation at hand and what we know so far.

"Okay, so let's review. This guy named Joshua Duncan is now a member of the House of Representatives due to the unpredicted death of the former Nebraska representative, Mark Dazy. But I'm pretty sure that Joshua Duncan is Joshua Hallal, under the person of Joshua Duncan. Joshua Hallal doesn't exist anymore, yet all old pictures of Joshua Duncan after the age thirteen don't exist either. Joshua Hallal is using Joshua Duncan's identity, but I'm not sure if it's consensual or not. My guess is that Joshua Duncan got paid off. We don't have any idea. And coincidentally, Joshua was Mark's apprentice for a year, until he died suddenly the night after a dinner that Joshua attended. But now that Mark is gone, Joshua Duncan (Hallal) is a part of the House of Representatives. My question is why would he want to be the representative in Nebraska? It's a low level cabinet position. If I didn't know better, I would think he has some evil scheme in a farm around here and wanted to hide it from the government, but he doesn't have enough power for that. There are three representatives from Nebraska, so he doesn't have all the power. It doesn't make much sense. That's why we're going to visit the farm where Mark Dazy lived most of his life with his family. Today we're going to meet with his daughter Hailey, who was there the night he died. She lives on the farm for now, until the final stages of his will are applied."

"How are we supposed to meet her? We can't just waltz in and expect them to let us in," Zoe said.

"I called ahead yesterday. Hailey didn't care. I also scoped the place out last night. It looks like a legit family farm. We're meeting her in a half an hour, so we better get going." Erica stood up and got ready.

We all got changed into casual jeans and older t-shirts (aka no designer stuff for Erica) since we were going to a farm. The drive was only about fifteen minutes from our motel. We reached the driveway. Immediately, we were greeted with a decorated mailbox (it looked really cute, like a little kid did it) with the last name Dazy on it. We were in the right place.

Erica turned onto the driveway and we bumped the long gravel path until reaching a large farmhouse. It was three, maybe four stories tall with old wood trim and peeling white paint. Despite its aging, it had a very homey vibe. The house could have even been made by the family. Behind it, we saw an ancient, old, red barn and a few more sheds and small houses. And of course, there were farm fields as far as the eye can see. It was very different from the city life I was now adjusted to, but I didn't really mind it. I could hear all the animals making their various sounds, instead of the bustle and hustle of America.

Standing on the porch of the house was a small crowd, almost all wearing overalls and hats, and all very tan. There was a girl standing in the front. As we were driving up, I didn't really get a good view of her, but once I got out and could see her clearly, I felt my entire body heat up and I felt perspiration starting to gather on my forehead. It had nothing to with the scorching temperature though.

This girl, about my age, was absolutely stunning. I immediately assumed she was Hailey Dazy. She had dark brown hair, with streaks of bright sun-bleeded blonde. Her skin was perfectly tan, like she was still a bit farm tan, but not as dark as her family and people around her. She had a friendly, kind smile on her face, showing off her white pearls. From the moment I saw her, I could tell she was going to be funny, nice, fun and sweet. She had that vibe about her. Haily also seemed very, was the word... free? She seemed carefree, happy and even had a little bit of a wild glint in her eye. She wasn't wearing overalls like the others though, she was wearing some jeans, combat boots and a tied-up plaid shirt. There was else something different about her than her companions, though. Even though she dressed very farm-y, she didn't see completely country like the others. Some of the kids actually had straw in their mouths. Most of them talked in every country slang and tone too, but she had a I would like to guess a New York accent. I felt myself getting drawn to her, without even talking to her. It was a weird, yet wonderful feeling I've never felt before.

She came up to us when we exited the car.

"Welcome, everyone! My name is Hailey Dazy and this is Dazy's farm." She stood her hand out. Immediately, I could tell she wasn't from around here, these farms in Nebraska. She had a New York accent, but the big tell was her handshake. After spending a few years in the private equity and investment industry, I could tell types handshakes and where a person is from based on one. She had a firm, yet professional handshake. New York business woman for sure. I could totally tell. But what was she doing here in Nebraska? Or more, what was she doing in New York?

"Thanks for meeting with us. I'm Erica, this is Zoe, this is Mike and that's Ben." Erica introduced all of us. I gave a goofy smile, but then instantly regretted it. I probably looked like an idiot.

"A pleasure," she said, gesturing to us to follow her, "We made some lemonade. Why don't we eat something and talk?" I was definitely not going to turn that down. Plus, it was like a zillion degrees so I was so thirsty.

I hadn't gathered the courage to talk to her directly yet. I had never been this nervous about a person in a long time, almost nine years.

Zoe, Erica and Hailey were up ahead, talking about something. Mike and I were a few paces behind. Mike shot me a concerned look,

"You okay? Your face is super red."

I tried very hard to conceal my blush, "Wha-nothing. Nothing."

But unfortunately Mike, the ladies man, could see right through it, "No way. Hailey, right?"

"What?" I said way too quickly, "No!"

"Why not?" He joked, "City boy, country girl. Plus, you've gotta admit, she's smokin' right?"

"Mike!" I hissed, a little horrified.

He laughed and nudged my shoulder, "All right, I'll let it go."

We got to the large table and Hailey poured us all a glass of fresh lemonade. I downed it very quickly. It was amazing. Better than any soft drink lemonade you get a delis for sure.

"Liked that, didn't you?" Hailey smiled at me. I smiled back. I was just praying it wasn't too big.

"So, welcome everyone. It's amazing that you all want to get ahead of your summer college journalism course! And we're all honored that you want to feature the story of my late father, Mark Dazy!"

To my credit, I did a very good job reacting to the unsuspected news. But it was a great cover on Erica's part. No one would suspect college kids doing some extra research for a feature story. Plus that lets us ask normally invasive questions. Smart.

"Where should we start?" Hailey asked, seeming prepared to answer some questions then and there.

"Well..." Zoe trailed off. It was evident she had absolutely no idea what to ask her.

"How about telling us about you?" I cut in abruptly.

"Well, I was born here on this farm, actually. I'm twenty six years old. I grew up on this farm with my parents, Mark and Donna Dazy, my four older siblings, my cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, you name it. We all lived together in various houses around the farm. Dad was forty when he got the position in the House of Representatives. He studied hard at UCLA and came back here to run. He was a loving man and the heart of this farm. I was homeschooled here with all the kids until I went to public high school. I fell in love with school outside of our family and actually got accepted into Princeton."

"Oh yay, we have another genius around here," Mike muttered jokingly. Erica glared at him but Hailey just smiled and continued.

"I studied neuroscience and neurotechnology for four years. I got an amazing internship at this world-renowned research facility in New York for about a year and a half and I lived in New York, being one of the first in my family to leave the farm for a while, not counting Dad of course. I first came back here when my mom passed away, a little over a year ago. I stayed a few months, trying to help out and be there for my dad, and tried to juggle working from here. It was hard. And after this election, I was going to leave again. But then Joshua came into the picture. He was a young, ambitious politician and Dad really took to that. I think he saw him as a younger version of himself. Joshua was also an orphan and Dad took it upon himself to be a mentor and father to him. Joshua was in some financial trouble with college and so he started living on the farm. No one minded at all. Unlike most city people, he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. Well what was left of him. Not many people know this, but Joshua actually has three prosthetic limbs due to a very unfortunate trip to Africa. Technological advances got so fancy that you can't really tell! Anyway, Joshua was the most wonderful guest ever. He helped out and was amazing. He even told me that he could handle things down here, and that I could go back to work in New York earlier than I thought. I was so excited, for I had missed work so much. I believed and knew he could handle things at the farm, too. That was the best part. So I was planning to go when I got delayed a few days. My new apartment in New York wouldn't be ready until three days after I was supposed to leave so I decided to stay. A day before I was supposed to leave, one of my final dinners before I left again, my father passed away." A sob caught in her throat, "You know, some of my family blames me. That I was stressing him out about leaving and that caused the heart thing. But it wasn't me. And Joshua was so supportive of me, until a day after his death, Joshua left us too. He claimed that now Mark had died, the place brings him unhappy memories and wanted out. He was going to work and focus his campaign from Virgina, to be closer to Washington DC. He was the designated successor to be the representative now. He," another sob caught in Hailey's throat. This time, tears were at the edge of her eyes. "He he asked me to go with him. I wanted to, I did, but I knew I couldn't. I'd be abandoning everyone again. So I've been living here since he passed about a month ago."

This was surprising. Joshua, nice, kind, caring, helpful? The only part that wasn't surprising is the fact that he ditched them right when he was done using them. And I was patting myself on the back for realizing that Hailey was from New York. I knew it. The information was helpful. Hailey seemed to know a lot about what was happening with their campiages too. It was good we were talking to her.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Zoe said sympathetically while she held Hailey's hand comfortingly. Hailey gave her a grateful smile back.

"So how much do you know about Joshua?" Erica asked her when she calmed down a little bit,

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Like what do you know about his childhood or his life outside of politics?" Erica asked.

Hailey shook her head, "I don't know too much. He didn't like to talk about his childhood, it brought back painful memories for him. His parents died in a sailboat accident when he was young and he lost many of his limbs tragically, so he didn't like to talk about it. But he was born near Washington DC and was homeschooled most of his life, as his family was very adventurous and loved to travel. He got accepted into Brown for politics and during his freshman year, his parents passed. He barely put himself through college, and when he graduated, he left and moved here in Boulder so that he could live cheaper, as he was in financial and student debt. My father met him at some event and then he moved into the guest room. He was an amazing guest and left after my father died. He took the death hard, and we were comforting each other, until he decided to move out. I haven't seen him since. I did call to congratulate him on his election, but he was really busy so we could only talk for a few minutes."

This was not really new information, as most of this was accessible online. However, I wasn't surprised he was a charming, good houseguest. He can play any role he wants when manipulating others, including pretending to be a nice person.

But there wasn't a lot of information on what started all of this scandal, the death of Mark Dazy.

"If it's not too difficult for you to speak about, would you mind recounting the night your father passed away?" I asked very gently.

Hailey nodded, "It was a regular sunday night. Each sunday night on this farm, we all eat together as a giant family. It's a tradition. We were all there, Joshua included, all enjoying dinner. About halfway through dinner, Dad didn't look so good. He wasn't engaging as much as he normally did at these types of dinners. We thought nothing of it; maybe he was tired. But he said he needed to lie down after dinner, and BEFORE dessert, so we knew something was up. But again, that wasn't anything to be alarmed about. He said there was sharp pain in his chest, so he was going to rest. The family wasn't too worried yet, there were rarely any heart issues at all in his family. But the next morning, we realized that he was gone. We were all devastated, the whole town was devastated. The population of this town is only about five thousand people and we knew most of them through business or other stuff so it was like a big family. My older sister took it especially hard. She and dad were close."

Zoe comforted Hailey again as her tears were starting to fall again.

Erica quickly scanned the room, "Hailey, there is something that we didn't tell you. We actually aren't journalists."

I immediately sat up in panic. Was she going to tell Hailey about her past after ten minutes of meeting her? Zoe and Mike did too. We all snapped our heads over to Erica.

"This must stay between us. We're actually training to be FBI agents, and we have a suspicion that your father's death might not be an accident. We suspect there was foul play." Erica countined.

I knew she wasn't going to tell Hailey about the whole spy thing. Erica already had messed up trust issues. But we all eagerly waited for her response. She was either going to take it well, or not at all.

There was a beat. And then she whispered, "I thought so!"

That was unexpected.

Mike blinked, "Uh, you did?"

She nodded quickly, "We haven't had a heart condition incident since great-great-great-granddaddy Earl Dazy and that was only a minor seizure. He lived. So why would Dad have a fatal one?"

"Why didn't you bring it up with authorities?" Zoe asked.

"My sister was taking it really hard. The last thing I wanted was to create a scene. He's still dead, regardless. My sister wanted everything from the memory of that night to be erased so we could move on healthily. She would hate me more than she already does right now! Like I said before, some of my family blames me for causing Dad stress which led to his heart thing. If we prove there is foul play, they will know it's not my fault and they won't keep icing me out. And if this is true, I want justice for the dirtbag who killed my father. He was the most important man in my life."

"Even if it was someone in your family?" Erica cut in abruptly. Our heads swung back to Erica once again. We were all shocked she'd said that, but it made some sense. But I thought we were trying to prove Josha guilty? Although there were a bunch of people there that night. It could have technically been someone else. What was Erica's game here? Maybe she was just trying to open up the conversations for suspects.

"Think about it," Erica continued, "Hailey, who inherits the farm?"

"My uncle Ed," Hailey said carefully, "Oh!" She said, perking up, "The election was only three weeks at the time. Susan, his competitor, had absolutely no chance. She lives alone on a giant farm since all of her workers quit after a week. She's a crazy person. But with Dad gone, she would, in theory, get the position because she would be the only candidate. If she did it and that was her plan, it failed. I guess she didn't suspect Joshua to run."

Erica nodded, "Very interesting. We'll have to look into that. Do you know anything else that might be useful?"

"Oh!" Hailey exclaimed, standing up, "I actually do have something you might find helpful. But you can't tell anyone else, especially people in this family."

We followed her in ominous silence. This was sure to be interesting.

**Yay, more plot stuff. Also!! Guess what I just learned: My favorite TV show of all time, Parks and Rec, IS HAVING A REUNION EPISODE AFTER 10 FREAKIN YEARS AND I'M SO EXCITED!!! I love that TV show. Airs next thursday and I CAN'T WAIT!!!!**


	20. Chapter20

**Please enjoy!! :)**

Curiously, Erica, Mike, Zoe and I all followed Hailey out of the main farmhouse. I could tell that Zoe and Erica were very wary of Hailey, while Mike and I were just plain curious. True, we had just met Hailey and now we were following her to an undisclosed location, but she didn't seem dangerous. However, nor did Audrey and we know how that turned out...

Anyway, she led us to one of the many barns on the property. This one seemed to be in the worst condition of all of them. The walls were peeling paint and looked termite infested. And half of the roof was missing entirely, save for the broken scaffolding. It didn't look too safe to enter. Also, this barn was the farthest away from the main house and was concealed in some shadows from the nearby forest. I didn't want to think about it, but I couldn't help to think that this looks like a scene out of an erry horror or murder movie. Nonetheless, I felt safer with Mike, Zoe and especially Erica with me.

Hailey yanked the creaky barn door open. It was dusty and gross inside. The only light that came in was from the missing roof. Wordlessly, she led us over to the corner of the barn. Thankfully, it was more lit over there.

She shoved a hay bale aside. There was a cardboard box that looked freshly put there. Hailey grabbed it and brought it to the center of the barn.

"What is that?" Mike asked curiously.

Hailey reached her hands in and brought out a bunch of stuff. It was random too. It was a wine glass, a salad fork, a regular fork, a spoon, a knife, a napkin, plate and other table items. There was also a wallet, coins and some other junk draw stuff. This just increased my curiosity. Again, my mind went to a dark place. This looks like stuff a serial killer would keep of their victims' stuff. I could tell I was not the only one thinking this. After all these years, I could understand my companions' body language. Erica I knew for sure. Her whole posture shifted into defensive. She was more than suspicious at this point.

Hailey continued to ruffle through the stuff. She touched every item and ran her hands over them for some reason. She then laid them on all on the dusty floorboards. As she laid the glass down, the sunlight streaming in hit her hair, making the blonde streaks glisen. I felt my body heat up. But this was no time for this.

"What is all of this stuff?" Mike asked again.

Hailey sat down on a nearby hay stack. We sat down too. The hay dug into my legs painfully.

"This is my dad's stuff from the night he died," Hailey started. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Erica's eyes widen in surprise. Why was it all here? In the back of this gross barn? And if it was so painfully hidden, why did Hailey show us?

"The night my dad died was one of the worst in my life, my entire family's life. We were there for his last dinner, but we didn't know it. There was so much left unsaid that we wish we could. My oldest sister took it so hard. After mom died, she and dad were like the parents of the family. My oldest sister Diana said the only way for her, and all of us, to move on healthily was to erase all things that reminded us of that night. So this was all the stuff from that night. Dad's plate, his silverware, his wallet, salt and pepper shakers, all that stuff. She wanted me to get rid of it. Get rid of the awful night to only fill our heads with good ones. It made sense, I guess. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't erase that night. As awful as the night was, it was also a critical part of Dad's life. So without telling my family, I hid it here. But maybe you guys will find it helpful."

Erica looked at her for a second, but then examined the items. None of them looked out of the ordinary, except for maybe being a little dirty. We all circled the items. I had no idea what I was looking for. I just followed what Erica was doing to pretend I knew what I was doing. Erica crouched down and examined the silverware and glass more clearly. We all watched her.

"This is actually helpful," Erica said, as she stood up, "Thank you." Hailey nodded.

"Is it okay with you if we send it in for testing?" Erica asked.

Hailey nodded once again, "Of course." Erica miraculously produced a plastic evidence bag out of nowhere. I had a suspicion though that she's been picking up random stuff throughout the farm house for evidence. It was very clear she didn't trust the Dazy's more than she did Joshua.

Erica put all of the items into individual bags. We all helped. Suddenly, a huge bell rang out. It scared the living daylights out of me.

Hailey stopped what she was doing when she heard the bell. She then groaned. "Ugh, it's milking time. I have to go. Feel free to look around and take what you need. Just please don't tell anyone else in my family about this. See you later." With that, she left the barn.

As she was out of earshot, Erica got right down to business, "This is suspicious, don't you think?"

Zoe nodded and Mike just looked confused.

"Think about it. The night Mark dies, Diana wants the evidence gone. Hailey luckily saved it, so that's good. There is a small chance that Diana wanted closure, but that seems quite odd to get rid of all this stuff." Erica said.

"But what about Hailey?" Zoe asked.

"What about Hailey?" I immediately replied and it came out much harsher than I intended.

Zoe gave me a look. "Well she's willing to just let four strangers look at all this evidence from a potential murder. We haven't shown her any ID at all."

"Maybe she's just trusting," Mike suggested, "And if she was up to something, why would she show us all this stuff. We didn't even ask for it. She willingly gave it up. That doesn't seem suspicious to me."

I nodded in agreement. Erica didn't react.

"I think Diana looks suspicious to be honest," I said, "Like you said, it seems suspicious that she would want all this stuff gone."

"But why Diana?" Zoe asked, "Hailey said her Uncle Ed, Mark's brother inherits the farm and most of his money goes to the farm. What's in it for Diana?"

"What about Susan, Mark's running mate for the house member spot?" Mike interjected, "Hailey mentioned her."

Erica rubbed her temples, "There's a lot of suspects right now. And no one brought up Joshua yet. That's why we need to test these things. I'm almost 99% sure that he was poisoned. Because you can't fake a heart attack any other way."

I love how she knows that I thought.

"So we need to find whos DNA, other than ours, Hailey's and Mark's are on this glass.'" Erica continued.

"But how?" Zoe asked, "We aren't a part of the CIA anymore. We don't have access to that kind of technology."

"But we know someone who does," Erica said ominously.

It came to me, "Audrey."

Zoe and Mike looked surprised.

"Oh my god," Mike said, "I haven't thought of Audrey for years!"

"She's in the CIA now? I thought she moved back to her uncle's place." Zoe said.

"She joined the CIA after living at her uncle's for a few years. She's now really big at the CIA. Audrey gives a lot of important information regarding her experience with evil organizations. Plus they're now sending her all around the world for these dangerous missions and assassinations." Erica smiled, looking a little bit proud.

Zoe looked a big shocked and horrified, "Audrey does assassinations?! She does not look like someone who does that kind of stuff. Her skinny physique and blonde hair does not look like assassin material. Oh my god."

"And that's exactly why she does them," Erica grinned, "The point is that Audrey has access to a bunch of CIA technology, no questions asked. We can get her to help us run some tests." She pulled out her phone from her pocket. The newest phone that hasn't even come out yet. Of course. The iPhone IX, with six cameras.

"Call Audrey," she handed me her phone, "Speed dial four. Make sure her line is secure before you start talking about it. It's technically illegal for her to use CIA technology for personal intentions."

I grabbed the phone and went to the corner of the barn for a bit of privacy. I pressed down on four and put the phone on my ear.

She picked up on the third ring, "Erica?" Audrey asked.

"No, Ben," I replied.

"Ben? Why do you have Erica's phone?" She sounded a bit suspicious.

"She gave it to me, I promise. I did find her with your instruction. Thanks for that."

"Of course," she said, "Why are you calling me though?"

"Are you busy?" I asked.

"No, not really. I'm just wrapping some things up. Why?"

"Is your line secure?"

"Always," she said this like it was a no-brainer, "Erica's is too. I helped her install some chip that makes it secure wherever she is. What's going on? Is everything okay?"

So I quickly got her up to date with what we know now. I talked about how we were at Mark's farm right now. I told her the situation.

After I explained it to her, I asked her what I needed to, "Audrey, we need tests on these materials. A water glass, some silverware and a plate. Erica said to ask you."

"Hmm.." she said, thinking, "What would you be looking for?"

"Poison, or anything else like that. Something that could cause death if consumed."

"So you're asking me if I could help you with a poison test?" Audrey said slowly. It didn't seem like she was completely on board.

"Yes, with the technology at your um... office." I said vaguely. I know she knew what I meant.

"You know that's illegal, right?" she asked playfully, but with a mischievous spark.

"Well..." I said ominously with a smile.

She laughed, "Yeah, I'll see what I can do. Erica will know where to send the stuff. And just for my information while we're testing, who's prints or DNA should be on the stuff? Like who did you see or know touched it?"

"Well..." I thought, "Erica touched it. Zoe, Mike and I did too."

"Zoe and Mike are there?" Audrey interrupted, "God, I haven't talked to them in years! How are they doing?"

"Well, aside from Zoe's abusive husband leaving and threatening her and their children and Mike being a total crackhead, pretty good."

Audrey paused for a second, "Hold on, what now?"

"Anyway! The victums' daughter Hailey Dazy also touched it. There might be some others that I'm not sure of. But we're mainly wondering if Joshua's DNA is on it."

"Joshua?" She exhaled, "Alright, I'll take a look and get back to you. I'm guessing I can have the tests done by tomorrow."

"Thank you Audrey," I said in great relief.

"Of course. Let me know if you need anything else. And don't let anyone else know about this. I could lose my job. And say hi to Zoe, Mike and Erica for me." With that, she hung up.

When I got back to the group, Hailey was back. She also smelled of cow manure, which wasn't too pleasant to be around. The three o'clock milking was over. And being a New Yorker, she didn't seem too happy about it either.

"Ben, you're back. Hailey was just filling us in on what happened after Mark's death." Zoe gestured me over.

"As a family, we decided to have Dad cremated. Then we were going to spread his ashes in his favorite childhood stream. I don't think it has happened yet. Surprisingly, there's quite a demand at the Boulder Nevada Crematory Facility so he's not due to be cremated until next month."

"Wait, you didn't want to do an autopsy?" Erica asked, like this was a shocking thing. We all kinda looked at her weirdly.

"No... I kinda wanted to because I suspected foul play but the rest of my family didn't want that. We didn't want a stranger cutting Dad open anyways. Everyone was like, 'He's dead anyway. Doing an autopsy wouldn't change that' and so we decided against it."

"It would be easier to know what happened to him if they did an autopsy," Erica informed her, "You could know if it really was a heart condition and if so, what is it. As a family, you should know what conditions are in your family to plan just in case. And if it is foul play, you can get justice."

Hailey shrugged, "It's too late."

"Where is the body?" Erica asked, like it was a normal thing to ask.

Our heads swung towards her in disgust and curiosity.

"Um... in the Boulder morgue... don't tell me-" Hailey was cut off by Erica.

"Yes. We should go there to investigate." Erica said, "Seeing the body could help me identify on the outside if there was anything suspicious."

"No!" Mike said firmly, "Uh-no. Dead bodies freak me out. No way." Zoe looked like she wanted to agree, but also seemed like she didn't want to seem weak.

Which was exactly how Erica treated Mike, "You're such a baby. They're dead already. A living person could do more harm to you than a dead one."

"If I'm invited... could I go?" Hailey asked sheepishly.

"Why?" Erica snapped, sounding dubious.

"Well," Hailey took a deep breath, "My father had this ring. It was an old thing, brass simple brand with a simple design on it. It's been in my family for years. Generations. In our haste, we forgot to get it off of him. And I was supposed to inherit it. If we do go see the body, why not grab it?"

Erica didn't seem too happy about this, but shrugged. "I guess so. I mean, I can't stop you. It's a public place," she said curtly.

"Thank you!" Hailey smiled, despite the very cold look Erica was giving her, "Here, I'll show you where you can stay the night!"

We once again followed her back to the farmhouse, an exciting day with dead people planned for tomorrow.


	21. Chapter21

**OH MY GOD IM SO SO SORRY!!! I've been forgetting to post the chapters here on Fan Fiction (it's also up on Wattpad) so here let me update all that I have now. I'm so so sorry!!!**

Hailey showed us to our rooms in the big farmhouse. Erica agreed it was better if we stayed here on the farm, instead of heading back to the motel. We needed to maximize all the time we had at this place, now that the plot was thickening. Before dinner, Mike and Erica got our stuff and brought it back. We had two rooms upstairs with twin beds. I was sharing with Mike again and Erica and Zoe were together. I smiled. Everyone without an immediate family stayed in this house, so Hailey was downstairs with her two cousins, some of her older nieces and nephews and others were in this house as well. Diana, some of her uncles and other family members had their own houses on the property.

We settled in and by then, it was dinner time. In this indoor patio, there was a GIANT table. There was enough seating for about forty people, stretching over ten feet long. The entire family ate together. It was nice to see a big, happy family together. My family at home was small, I was the only child and so was my mom. My dad only had one brother so even our extended family was small. Here, it seemed like they really adapted the farm life of having many children.

Zoe, Erica, Mike and I sat with the family-less and single people towards the end of the table. We were served the best burger I had ever had. It seemed so fresh, with the freshly toasted bun, crisp lettuce, juicy meat (although I couldn't help but wonder what cow they killed on this farm for it) and it even seemed like the ketchup with homemade. I could see I wasn't the only one enjoying it. Mike and Zoe completely devoured it and even Erica seems to be loving it.

The people we were sitting with were really fun, too. Two of Hailey's cousins were sitting next to Erica and me, John and William. They were both stereotypical country boys, very polite, good looking and really fun. They were twin brothers around twenty years old and telling us stories about crazy things growing up on a farm. They got all of us laughing and swapping stories. Even Erica, who was, until this point, very reserved, got into the stories and told some crazy celebrity stories of her own. It was funny because I don't think that John or William really heard of her. They admitted that on the farm, they never watched TV or kept up with celebrity gossip. Erica listed off some things, and I think they finally realized who she was from a magazine cover shoot she did. I was worried that Hailey would be suspicious of Erica being an FBI agent and super famous, but I don't think she even put two and two together. We were all having a great time.

When dinner was over, they brought out some pies. Oh my god the pies were amazing. Fresh peach and apples pies really hit the spot. After dinner was over, I was a little bit sad that it was over. I could see that Mike and Zoe felt the same way. Since we were on some weird daylight saving time (we've been shifting through time zones these last few days) it was still light outside. John suggested we go to this nearby river and swim. I had no swim gear, but I borrowed some from William. Erica opted out, saying she was tired and wanted to get some rest. So Hailey, Zoe, John, William, Mike and I went to the river. It was so fun! The river was really calm and we could see the little fish swimming around my ankles. The kids on the farm tied a rope to a branch so we got to swing in. The water was only about five feet deep, so we played chicken in the river. I was slightly worried about hitting my head (Bridge to Terabithia and all) but it was fine. Hailey was on my shoulders and Zoe was on Mike's and we successfully dunked them many times. We were all laughing and having the best time. It was quite therapedic for Mike, Zoe and I as well. We all went through hell these last few weeks; Mike getting suspended from his dream job, Zoe breaking up with her husband and me losing my apartment. It was great just letting loose and being carefree.

Hailey was super fun to hang out with, too. She was wild and daring; always willing to try a new trick on the rope swing or dunking me and Mike. It ended up being an entire wrestling match in the water. But nothing gold can stay and the sun was setting, so we had to head in. It was around nine pm at night. We all took nice warm showers and retired to our rooms.

I had showered first and was all clean, sitting and reading in my room while Mike was showering. I heard a knock at my door and Erica entered.

"Hi!" I said cheerly, still on a high from the exciting evening, "Where were you? We missed you out there!"

Erica sat down on the adjacent bed, "I was investigating the case, like we were supposed to be doing. The whole reason we were here."

I cast my eyes down guilty. She didn't seem too mad about it, though. Erica seemed more excited to tell me what she had heard. "I was talking to Hailey's oldest sister Diana, the one who wanted all the evidence gone. It was interesting. I asked her first about Joshua. She said that he was a nice young man, very charismatic and all this stuff. Nothing bad about him, except for the fact that he was always up late, wasting electricity blah, blah blah. She ranted to me a lot about saving electricity. It wasn't anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. I then asked her about the night Mark died. This is where it got interesting. Diana said that she prepared the food that night, along with some of the wives of the brothers. She said that Hailey was in charge of plating all the food and serving it to everyone at the table. She described the same thing that Hailey did, that Mark was acting fairly normal, only complaining about pain a little bit, but not any more than he usually did. Then that night, he died peacefully. Diana then went on about an half an hour rant about how it was Hailey's fault, how the stress of her leaving and being a neuroscientist was too much for him and that caused his heart problem, since they didn't have that problem in the past. She also went on a rant saying how Hailey was associated with the devil and a bunch of religious stuff. I got lost after she talked about an entry fee to hell. Anyway, I asked her about the stuff she wanted destroyed after that night. Diana claimed that all of that stuff was possessed and that the devil had cursed it. She wanted Hailey to dispose of it because she was already associated with the devil apparently. I think Diana's clear. She's very religious and I think all of her suspicious intentions were based on her religious beliefs. But here's what I thought was interesting. You know how Hailey said she wanted to do an autopsy and not cremate the body? And how Diana really pushed for the cremintation?"

I nodded in confirmation.

"Apparently, according to Diana, Hailey was the one who wanted Mark cremated the most. Not Diana. Hailey."

I sat up straighter, very surprised, "What? Why?"

Erica looked at me, "I don't know. That's what I'm wondering. However, I'm not totally sure if Diana meant she wanted him to be cremated fast or if she wanted him to be cremated in general. Because Diana said she wanted to bury him in the ground. Burning bodies sends them straight to hell because flames equal hell is what Diana kept saying. So I'm not totally sure about Hailey's intention with the cremination. That's why I'm glad we're going tomorrow. To get some answers. I'm glad Hailey is going, too. If Hailey goes, we'll get her reaction to the dead body and see her body language towards the situation and hopefully lead us on a correct path."

"Someone here is lying," I concluded, "But who?"

Erica nodded, "That's the real question."

A bunch of thoughts swirled in my head. What was going on here? Suddenly, all these people from the Dazy's farm were acting suspicious. I thought we were only investigating Joshua. Now it seems like someone on this farm has ill intentions.

"Also, I asked Diana about this ring Hailey needs to have off Mark. It's legit. In World War I, an ancestor of the Dazy's carved a ring from the barrel of his gun. It was a band and had a really simple design, but it's been in the family for years. Diana was bitter that Hailey was getting it, claiming that she was the best child and the oldest, but it was their dad's decision so whatever. I asked her about Uncle Ed, too. Since he inherits the vast farm, I was wondering if he would knock his own brother out. He's really old, almost ninety so I don't think he's capable of doing it. And next in line to inherit the farm after Ed is Diana, so now we just went back in a circle. Something is going on here. It's not only about Joshua anymore."

Mike then busted into the room, looking refreshed. He had a huge smile on his face and his hair was surprisingly perfectly styled.

I pulled a look of disgust at him, "Do you style your hair before going to bed?"

He grinned, "Yep! And I see that you don't," Mike smirked at me. I chucked a pillow at him, which he caught. Stupid baseball players.

"Hi Erica," Mike said, as he was throwing the covers back.

"Good night, Mike," Erica said with a smile as she left the room. I got about five words into my book before there was another knock on our door. This time, Zoe entered.

Mike sat up and set his phone down. He beamed at seeing Zoe.

"Hi guys!" She said, way too cheerful for eleven thirty at night.

"Zoe and I were going to catch up, if that's alright, Ben," Mike told me, "I never actually got to really talk to her since we met up. I promise we'll be quiet." I nodded since I didn't really care. The room was big enough where I couldn't hear them if they were whispering.

After about another half an hour, I fell asleep. They were still up, talking. I heard them talking to each other about relationships, life after spy school, baseball, Kurt and a bunch of other stuff. True to their word, they were quiet.

I got about two more hours of sleep when I was woken by loud snoring. Right, I forgot Mike was the world's loudest snorer. I tried relentlessly to get back to sleep but it was no use. After a half an hour, I got up and went downstairs, intending to get some fresh air.

Once I reached the living room, I pushed the screen door open. The night air was crisp and refreshing. An owl hooted in the distance. Surprisingly, I wasn't alone. Hailey was sitting a few feet away, staring up at the night sky. It was a beautiful sky. For the first time in a long time, I could see all the stars, undisturbed by the city lights.

Hailey looked surprised to see me, but welcomed me with a smile. She was sitting on a rocking chair on the porch, and gestured for me to sit on the other one. I did, happily.

We sat in comfortable silence for the next few minutes, observing the sky, listening to the crickets and wildlife. It was relaxing and wonderful.

"Couldn't sleep?" Hailey asked after a while.

"Yep," I said with a smile, looking over at her, "Mike snores like a boar. You?"

"Same. Not the boar thing." she assured with a small laugh, " Not being able to sleep."

I smiled yet again.

"Do you want some warm milk?" She offered, "It was freshly milked a few days ago."

"I'm okay," I said, "But thank you."

Hailey gave me a relieved smile, "Good. Because when I'm here, I try to act like a farm girl. Like the whole family wanted me to become. But truth be told, I'm a city girl. I love all the fancy restaurants in New York and the expensive never-going-buy-but-fun-to-look-at designer stores. Oh times square. I miss Times square."

"Yeah, Times square is super cool," I agreed, "With all the bright billboards and fun atmosphere."

She nodded eagerly. It seemed like she couldn't talk about how much she loves and misses New York with the people here. It seemed like they were all farm people and didn't love city people, even based on what Erica told me about Diana. Hailey seemed relieved to talk about it as well.

"Yes! And the food stands! Ymm!" She turned to me in her rocking chair, "You know, everyone here treats me like an outsider because I'm a scientist in New York. But I think everyone forgot that Dad also did the same thing. He works in Washington DC half of the time. They aren't complaining about that! My dad told me he was proud of me for leaving home and pursuing something I enjoyed like he did. Dad and I sometimes drove and got coffee, meeting in the middle of New York and Washington DC at this little coffee shop. It was amazing. We never told the family about it because they'd get jealous of all this 'extra' time I was getting with Dad and it would create a rift. We only did it like three times, but still. My family is the jealous type."

"I get that,"I said, listening intently. It was great to hear these stories from different types of people. In Washington DC, all I heard was politics and it was the most boring thing ever.

"And my dad was working himself into the ground, I'm telling you," Hailey continued, "He should have retired way sooner than he did. He had enough money for this crazy huge farm and we were all well off. We didn't need the money or for him to work. I guess he loved it so much, he wanted to keep going, but I think it was taking a physical toll on him. He was more tired than usual these last few years he was alive. I think that's why he agreed to mentor Joshua. To leave Boulder and all of Nebraska in the best hands possible. Dad was planning for retirement. And then he died." She was quiet on that last part, "Dad died in office."

I could feel the tears coming, so instinctively, I reached out and put my hand comfortingly on hers. It seemed to do the trick. She calmed down and smiled at me with a grateful smile through glossy eyes.

We got off that subject and talked about work. I told her about the new mutual bonds our company was taking in, and how that didn't really work with our projected margins but if it does work, it'll be really financially profitable, and if not, we'll be in debt coming into the next fiscal year.

Amazingly, she actually understood what I was saying and asked some really insightful questions, and even pointed out some things I didn't even think of. Apparently, she studied Advanced Econ and BC Financial Advisory at Brown.

Hailey then spoke to me about her work with molecular science and neurotechnology. It was quite fascinating what her company was working on. It was a reinvented way of cell regeneration and surgery. Her company also made some world-renowned discoveries about neuroscience and tech in the past, and she is working on another one. I studied chemistry a little bit in college, so I knew all about her company.

I think we both really loved to talk about work. It was great speaking to someone with the same intelligence level, so that we could understand and even challenge each other on certain topics. It was refreshing. We had some great, stimulated conversations. Erica's warning and conversation was still in the back of my mind. I was wary when I gave away any super personal information, but still opened up to Hailey in ways I didn't with many people.

But thinking back to that conversation with Erica, I was wondering about the ring she wants. Why she wants it and why she inherits it, I guess, instead of Diana.

"So what's the story about the ring? What's it's importance?" I asked.

"It's been in our family for generations. My great-great-great-great grandfather actually carved and sculpted the ring in his bunk during World War I. Our family has had it for generations and I want to get it back so that it can keep being in our family. When Dad had so many children, it was kinda a question about who would get the ring. I was so surprised when Dad said I was going to inherit it. I wasn't always the best child growing up."

"When did he tell you?" I asked curiously.

"Only about three weeks before he passed away. We were both at the coffee shop we go to when we meet up, in between New York and Washington DC, and he told me, and I'll always remember: 'Hailey, life is too short for regrets. Life is too short for petty arguments and disagreements. I'm proud of you for standing up to the family and pursuing what you love. That's what I did. And that is why I want you to have the family ring when I die. No matter what happens, what people say or what people do. I want you to have it.'" Hailey looked into the distance and with a little sad scoff said, "It's like he knew he was going to die."

Yes it did. It did sound like he knew he was going to die. It also, however, sounded like he was just assuring her to follow her career and the life she wants, despite the family pressure to work on the farm. It sounds more like a father saying that he accepts and is proud of her decision. And that's probably why he gave her the ring, because she had the courage to break out of the family business and create her own life. Like Mark Dazy did.

We spoke about more random stuff. Even when the subject got to politics, I was happy discussing it with her because she had such insightful and interesting positions on the government and politicians that it wasn't boring. It was unlike the dreadful conversations I have in Washington DC about politics, where people just scream at you and rant about their opinion, and don't let you talk or have your own thoughts on the matter.

Finally, the subject switched to relationships. I wasn't going to lie, I was very curious if she had a boyfriend or anyone here or in New York. But to my delight, she asked me if I was single before I had to ask her.

"So... are you with someone?" Hailey asked me very timidity, like she was shy to ask so. I found it quite endearing.

"Nope," I replied with a sad smile, "You?"

She scoffed, "No. I was with someone about a month ago, maybe three weeks ago, but they wanted to move too fast without consulting or even talking to me about it. Like I am ready for that next step in life, even ready for an engagement and I thought he was the one. But then he wanted to make this drastic life change and didn't even talk to me about it. When I said that I wasn't ready and didn't want to uproot my life like that, he left me."

I winced for Hailey. That was rough. He must have been a complete jerk. Yet again, without even second-guessing myself, I put a comforting hand on hers. She gently held on to my hand back.

"How are you handling it?"

"Pretty well," Hailey replied, "I am fully over him now. It took a few weeks, but I am. I am glad I didn't go with him or dedicate my life to him. I now know what type of person he is and I want to stay away as far as I can from him."

"Good," I said comfortingly, "I'm glad you realized that."

"Plus, he was always so weird about clothes. I'm totally fine if he didn't want to, you know, do it. But I genuinely never saw him without a shirt on, without pants on, or even in a bathing suit. The entire time he was here, I never saw him swim or go in the river. In fact, now that I think about it, I never saw him with even short sleeves or shorts on. And you know how hot it can get on the farm," Hailey looked curiously at me, "Huh, I never realized that."

That really was weird. "Wow, that's different I wonder why." He must have been a strange guy. Wanting to uproot her life, but not even wearing a bathing suit?

It seemed like Hailey was happy I was listening to this because it seemed like she didn't have many people she could confide in. She gave me a huge smile.. Suddenly, in the distance, a rooster crowed. I looked up, very startled. I was so engrossed with our conversation that I didn't even notice the sun peeking up from behind the faraway mountains.

Hailey looked up as well, "Oh wow, it's already five am. It's been like two and a half hours. Roosters crow at five, which starts the whole day. I don't know what time your friend wants to go to the freakin moruage, but we should get some sleep before then."

I nodded in agreement and we both stood up. We stood there on the porch, staring at each other for an awkward second, before Hailey hugged me, and I hugged her back. She had to stand on her tippy toes to reach my neck and she warmly embraced me. She smelled wonderful, like strawberries. After that, we both went back to our rooms. Luckily, Mike was sleeping soundly for once and I got back to sleep fairly quickly.

XXX

I woke up much later in the day. To my absolute delight, they had let me sleep in. I was up at around eleven thirty, got quickly dressed and went downstairs. At the breakfast nook, Hailey, Zoe and Erica were eating, talking and laughing. Even Erica seemed to be enjoying talking with them, about life and whatever. Hailey motioned me over when they noticed me.

I grabbed a plate of food that was on the counter, and slid into the booth next to Erica. Hailey and I both missed breakfast, so we were eating lunch. Mike apparently went to chop some wood with John and William.

After a little bit of discussion, it was evident that Zoe and Hailey were having a fun conversation and Erica was just pretending to so that she could interrogate Hailey on some topics, like Joshua or Diana or Ed. Hailey didn't seem to notice or care, but I did.

Anyway, an hour later, Mike, Zoe, Hailey, Erica and I were all squished into our tiny five seat rental car, with Erica driving, Mike in the passenger seat and Zoe squashed in the middle. The Boulder Morgue was about a half an hour away, so we drove all the way into town. When we got to downtown Boulder, it was a very quaint and cute town, with small shops and family-owned diners. We turned a few corners however, and the quaint town was replaced with a sketchy area. We parked alongside the street and double checked to make sure that the car was locked. I wasn't worried about being mugged or anything, since Erica was with us, but I was still worried about the car.

The morgue had a small storefront, but it opened up in the back, so that trucks carrying the bodies could unload straight from the bed of the truck from the alley. Hailey wrinkled her nose at where her father was being kept. Because this was such a small farmtown, there weren't any other options. In fact, most people bury their family on the farm itself, so it took out the need for such a store.

When we walked in, the man behind the counter seemed surprised at us. The man was creepy (not surprising because, you know, we were in a morgue.) He was an older man, with sunken eyes and dark circles under his eyes. He was very bony and thin and walked with a slight limp. He seemed extra surprised that a group of young people entered. He gave me very creepy vibes.

"What do you need?" He asked in a dark and deadpan voice.

Zoe was trying his hardest to not laugh. She kept muffling her laugh and buried her face in Mike's shoulder. I wasn't doing much better. He was really creepy, which somehow made it really funny.

Erica seemed a bit amused as well, "We want to look at the body of Mark Dazy."

He gives us a blank stare for about two seconds, then focuses back on the computer, tapping away. This did not help my laughter. It was really awkward and super funny.

"Do you have identification?" He said without emotion.

"Yes," Hailey stepped forward, "Here, I'm his daughter." She showed him her ID.

He glances at it for a second, then nods curtly, "Follow me please." Without even making sure we were coming, he wheels around and pushes the back door open.

Oh my god. It smelled AWFUL. It was like rotting flesh mixed with disinfectants. It was gross. I wasn't the only one gagging. Erica and that creepy guy were the only ones who seemed unaffected. It was a bright, white room with silver hatch-lock cabinets on the walls, in a 5 by 8 formation. It was hard for me to comprehend that there were dead bodies in there. The whole place gave me shivers.

The creepy guy heads over to one of the cabinet doors. On the placard next to the cabinet door, it said MARK DAZY. He unlatches it and pulls the tray out.

We all, including the creepy guy, were in complete shock. Not because the body was gross, but because it was gone completely.

Erica immediately whirles around with ice in her eyes, "What the hell is going on here?!"

The creepy guy looked shocked and finally showed emotion, "I-I really don't know!" He said this very sheepishly.

"You don't know?!" Hailey snarled, getting very angry, "You LOST my father's body?! Are you kidding me?! How incompetent are you?!"

"Look, miss, please calm down!" The guy looked very stressed. He had one job, to take care of dead bodies, you know, to make sure they don't run away, and couldn't even do that. "Perhaps I mislabeled it. Let's look in the other cabinets."

This is where Mike put his foot down, "Oh HELL no. I didn't want to come here in the first place. There is no way I'm opening cabinets with these little pull out trays with dead bodies on them. No. Absolutely not."

Trust me, I wasn't game opening the cabinets either. But I sucked it up and opened a few. Luckily, in the cabinets, they were covered in a white sheet, so I just had to pull the top of the white sheet back, revealing the face, and take a quick glance. I had to give props to Hailey, though. With our spy experience, we weren't completely unused to dead bodies. They still gave me the creeps, but I was more prepared than if I wasn't formally a spy. She looked horrified to be doing it, but she did. Also, it being her own father probably motivated her as well. Mike stood in the center of the room, not doing anything.

There weren't too many body slots so we finished fairly quickly. No use. Mark Dazy's body was completely gone. Where was it and what did this mean?

**Predictions?**


	22. Chapter22

**Here's another part of updates I forgot to post. Sorry again!!! **

Erica immediately demanded the security tapes of the morgue. We wanted to see if Mark was never here, or if he was moved after he got here. The old guy looked very frazzled at the disappearance.

"I swear," he pleaded with a very angry Hailey, "I oversaw it myself! Mark Dazy was delivered here, I promise." Hailey wasn't hearing any of it, and was just angry. Plus, she couldn't get that family heirloom ring back.

Mike was out of there in an instant after we were done searching. He stood outside the shop and paced. I wasn't sure if it was out of concern for Mark, but I'd be willing to bet it was more because he was so close to dead bodies.

Zoe was being helpful and was calming down Hailey best she could. Since Zoe had experience with little kids, she was making some progress on Hailey. She was very angry, but Zoe assured that Erica had expertise in this matter and that she was going to take care of it.

I was in charge of getting this creepy guy's name and information, in case he was a bad guy working with Joshua or whoever. I doubted it though. He was creepy, weird and seemed too unusual for even Joshua to work with. He normally employs young and handsome people, not old men who live alone and work at a morgue for over forty five years. Still, you could never be too careful. I took pictures of his driver's license and some other random stuff. I didn't quite know what I was doing, but I was pretending to be helpful.

Suddenly, my phone rang. It was an unknown number. Normally I don't answer those, but the area code was from Washington DC and it could have been for work or something. I walked outside and out of earshot from where Zoe, Mike and Hailey were.

I picked up, "Hello?"

"Hi Ben," someone said in a hushed whisper, "I just installed some secure hardware on your phone remotely."

I recognized the voice, even in a whisper, "Audrey? And how did you install secure hardware remotely? Don't you need my permission or my password or something?"

I heard some moving and rustling on Audrey's end, like she was moving. I also thought I heard a loud engine or something. She scoffed, "Like I need a password. You should really protect your phone better. And you really don't want to know. Anyway, I have to make it brief, since this is, you know, illegal. Are you in a secure location?"

I really wasn't, but I wanted to hear what Audrey had to say.

"Yes I am."

"Okay, so I got your results back," there was more sounds in the background of her call, like she was moving yet again, "And you're right."

That really piqued my interest, "I am? About what?"

"There was something on that cup you told me to test. Specifically, residue on the rim of the cup." Audrey was speaking calmly, but there was a sense of urgency about it, probably because she wasn't supposed to be using CIA equipment for outside matters.

Now I was very interested, "What? What is it?" I asked in a hurry.

"Okay, it's very interesting. It wasn't poison or anything meant to be lethal. It was merely a long-term allergy drug called Xenya. It's even advertised on TV. You know that annoying commercial with over-excited people running through fields of flowers while the calm voice says that the side effects include brain tumors? Yeah that one. Point is, anyone could get the drug that was on the cup. It wasn't any russian poison or anything. Xenya is a fairly strong medication that has long term effects on removing allergies. Many people take it. But it is however recommended that people only under sixty take it, because it has very strong dreary effects on older people. It makes them drowsy, but even if someone older than sixty takes it, it's not lethal. Heck, even if you overdose, it shouldn't kill you. And based on the results, there wasn't enough for an overdose. At most, it seems like it was the recommended serving treatment."

For some reason, this made me disappointed. A part of me was hoping it was some secret russian poison so we had a clear lead on what was going on. Not only were we back on square one, the plot thickened even more. Why would someone put a non-lethal drug on his cup? And if it is supposedly non-lethal, why is he dead?

"How drowsy does it make seniors?" I asked Audrey, "Worst case scenario?" Maybe the drowsiness killed Mark somehow?

"I mean, worst case? I guess now because of Mark, it's death. But I wouldn't be so quick to assume he died because of this. Obviously it's suspicious that this happened the same night, but the cold hard facts don't line up. But coming back to your question, before Mark, the worst case scenario is probably hospitalized, with non-threatening injuries. The doctors would probably want the senior there so they could monitor their vitals and for the old people to take it easy. For a few weeks at most. Nothing too bad."

"Hmm," I bit my lip in concentration. This was definitely new and important news.

"Oh!" Audrey exclaimed, "I almost forgot to tell you. Part of the reason you wanted me to test it was to see what DNA was on it, right?"

"Yes!" I responded quickly, "Of course!"

"Right, so here's who DNA was on it. The people aren't too surprising. Mark Dazy, obviously. Diana Dazy, who you said prepped the food that night, right? But here's where I think you got your answer to who-" Audrey stopped speaking abruptly.

"What happened?" I asked, a bit annoyed that she stopped talking at the most pivotal moment.

"Do I hear footsteps behind you?" She whispered this into the phone.

I whirled around and Hailey and Zoe were walking towards me. "Yeah," I frowned, "It's just Zoe and Hailey Dazy."

An urgent tone rang through her words, "Zoe and Hailey?" Audrey spoke in a hurried tone, laced in stress. "I have to go. I'll call you later."

"Wha-?" I asked but the line went dead. Ugh, I know why. Audrey doesn't want to get caught by a civilian, even maybe Zoe, running these tests using CIA property. It could cost her her whole career and the CIA still doesn't completely trust her all these years later. It's taken years to build their trust with her, Audrey doesn't want it taken away by Zoe or Hailey overhearing our conversation.

"Hey Ben!" Zoe said cheerfully. Hailey looked significantly calmed down, which was good. I guess she finally realized that there was no use to get mad since, at the moment, there was nothing we could do. Once we have and review the security tapes, we should have a clear idea on how to proceed. Erica was still inside, downloading all the tapes from the moment he was delivered to now. It was taking kind of a long time.

"Who was that?" Zoe asked as they approached me.

"Oh just someone from work," I lied with a weak smile.

Hailey still looked rattled, but grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Zoe. Zoe gave me a happy, knowing smile. Then Zoe joined Mike in examining a lost dog poster.

"Hey, Ben, can we talk?" Hailey asked very timidly. I had no idea where this was going, but nodded.

"Of course," I told her.

"I really enjoyed our conversation last night," she smiled, "Well, I guess this morning. I know this is such a bad time, but I keep thinking back to this. I know you're single, and I'm single, but I don't want to rush things at all. I learned my lesson. But if you're open to it, I would like to pursue this relationship and see where it goes. If you're up to it."

I couldn't help it but a huge smile graced my face. It had been a long time since a relationship, and even longer since the girl asked me to hang out. Especially someone as smart, pretty, funny and kind as Hailey has been. There was a hint of suspicion, as I had just met her, but worst case scenario she'll break up with me. I was excited though. It has been a while. And she didn't ask to jump into a relationship. She merely asked to see if there was an opportunity for us to become something.

"I would really like that," I said with a smile.

Before she could respond, Erica came out of the morgue with a DVD in hand. We both walked over to her.

"Got the security tapes. I have a computer in the car we can look at it on once we get WiFi." Erica started moving towards the car.

"Wait," Hailey jogged over to Erica, "The farm doesn't have WiFi. We need to go somewhere else."

Erica looked mildly annoyed at that, "Wow, I'm surprised you even have electricity at the farm then. Luckily, there's a coffee shop only a few shops down that we drove past. We can walk." With that, she turned on her heel and marched off. After an awkward second, Zoe, Mike, Hailey and I followed her.

Hailey and I walked next to each other, a little closer than we would have normally. Mike and Zoe were behind us and Erica was in front of us. I looked over at Hailey and smiled, which she returned. Suddenly, Hailey reached down and interlaced her hand through mine. I instantly held her hand back. It made me so happy.

While we were holding hands, Erica turned around to say something, and then saw our hands together. My face heated up for a second and I could feel my hand getting sweaty. I didn't have feelings for Erica anymore, I think, but it still was awkward for me for her to see that. She opened her mouth, then whirled back around, saying nothing. Her eyes were cold.

It seemed like Hailey didn't even notice Erica even turned around. I knew that look though. Erica was jealous. It made me smirk a little that she was. It's been a long time since anyone was jealous for me. I'm not going to lie, it felt nice. I grabbed Hailey's hand even harder.

We got to the coffee shop. It was a cute little Italian theme one. Even better, it was empty, save for us and the workers there.

Erica avoided looking at me. Once we entered the cafe, Hailey let of my hand. We all sat down and ordered coffees and pastries. Erica wasted no time. She pulled out her laptop and inserted the disc. The security footage was pulled up immediately. There was over a month of footage on there, so it was taking a while to get to the part where Mark is delivered, even sped up.

I got my coffee while we were waiting and Hailey got hers plus a chocolate croissant. Mike, Zoe, Hailey and I were talking while Erica was sitting quietly and watching the footage. Most people would think she was just really focused, while I couldn't help but think that she was still a bit upset about what she witnessed. An evil part of me wished that was the case. It's time that someone had feelings for me after a six year dry spell.

"Do you want some?" Hailey asked me with a smile. She gestured to her croissant.

"Sure!" I replied. Hailey ripped a piece off and to my suprise, fed it to me. I didn't hate that at all. But someone else did. Erica was glaring at us from over the top of her laptop and I tried to ignore it, but it made me a bit happy. I think I even smirked again.

I laughed after she fed me the croissant. Zoe was grinning at us, while Mike gave me the thumbs up. I kicked him under the table.

"Here," Erica said coldy out of nowhere.

We all gathered around her to watch the footage. The creepy guy held the back door open where the trucks were parked. They were all labeled correctly as legit companies. . Nothing suspicious yet. Two men wheeled a gurney inside with a body covered in a white sheet. Erica groaned.

"We can't see the body or the face. We have no idea who that is," she concluded.

We still continued watching. The two men, who were about fifty and weren't familiar (thus probably not evil) wheeled the body over to the compartment marked MARK DAZY. They carefully slid the tray out and laid the body down. They slid the tray back inside the wall and shut the cabinet.

"They didn't do it," Zoe said thoughtfully.

We all turned to her, "Did what exactly?" Hailey asked.

"Check the body," Zoe explained, "We have no idea if that body is actually your father's or not. It's just a body. It could be anyone."

We all paused and considered this. She was right.

"Well sh*t," Mike said plainly, "We're back to square one."

All of us, except Erica, groaned. Mike was right.

"I'll watch the rest of it to see if anyone removed the body from then on. Then we'll have a better answer." Erica turned back to the computer, "And after that, if we find nothing, I want to question Susan, Mark's former competitor for the house position. But we still have to wait until I review all this footage."

So there was nothing to do but wait there longer. Hailey's hand was resting on the table and when I made sure Erica was looking up, I put mine over hers. This time, though, Hailey didn't hold mine back, just yanked it away. I felt my face turn red in embarrassment, but it didn't seem like anyone noticed it happened. Thank god.

After that, Haiely wasn't really talking to me anymore. Whenever I asked her something or talked to her, she responded with a brief and curt quip back. What happened? Mere hours ago she was asking me to pursue something with her. Did that exclude holding hands?

I even got her some french macaroons (and they were 4 per tiny cookie!) to get her to talk to me again. I tried to give them to her (consistently while Erica was watching) but she declined them, quite rudely in fact. What the hell was happening?

Even Zoe was treating me differently, like I was being an as*hole! Their behavior towards me changed almost at the exact same time. Did girls have ESP and where they talked to each other?

I couldn't dwell on this for too long because I got a very mysterious message.

An unknown number, with a Washington DC area code, texted me in all caps. I realized it was Audrey.

Audrey: BEN GET OUT NOW

I grabbed my phone so quickly and tapped out a response.

Me: What's happening why??

I also realized that Audrey's texts send on a timer and delete after ten seconds of receiving them. I had no proof she had texted me to show Erica or someone to see what we should do. I was drowning out all other sounds as the three little typing bubbles showed up.

Audrey: LEAVE THERE NOW. GO ANYWHERE, I DON'T CARE. MAKE SURE EVERYONE LEAVES THEIR ELECTRONICS BEHIND.

Me: WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

Audrey: Ur such an idiot leave RN.

So I stood up very suddenly, making the coffee slosh in their cups. I trusted Audrey.

"We have to leave right now!" I said in a rushed panic.

Everyone eyed me with confusion, but stood up quickly as well. All except Zoe.

"What? No! I order a fourteen dollar coffee and I am going to drink it! Why do we need to go so suddenly?" Zoe looked a bit peeved.

I checked my messages again. Another text had popped up.

Audrey: I am trying to protect you! Hurry!

"Please!" I pleaded, "We need to go now!" Despite if Erica was jealous or mad at me, she still saw the sense of urgency in my body language and tone. She quickly collected her things, the computer and took one last bite of a tart before standing next to me. Erica could tell I was being serious and credible.

"I trust him. Guys, we're leaving NOW." But as Erica was saying that, one final text came through.

Audrey: You're too late.

Suddenly, the door to the coffee shop burst open. A dozen guys in full body armour with machine guns in hands entered. Their guns sweeped the cafe while they yelled,

"Get on the ground! Hands laid flat against the floor!"

I made eye contact with Erica and she gave me a slight nod. She lowered to the ground with her hands up and we all followed suit. Hailey and Zoe looked scared and Mike just looked annoyed, but we compiled.

The men walked around us laying on the ground with guns pointed at us. But then, a familiar person walked into the coffee shop. Audrey.

She was wearing a black tactical chestplate and dark cargo pants. Her blonde hair was tied back in a tight pony tail and was wearing dark sunglasses, despite being inside. One hand was holding a handgun and the other was clutching a megaphone.

"CIA," Audrey declared in a firm and authoritative tone into the megaphone, "You are all under arrest for using CIA property without consent or permission. Whatever you say can and will be used against you."

Hailey, Zoe and Mike looked around in confusion, still on the ground. Erica seemed very calm and knew why this was happening. I had a good idea what this was about too. Using CIA property? They must have figured out someone used their equipment to find the substance on the glass and somehow traced it to me. Audrey must have stayed protected. Audrey could have set me up though. But that was what the warning must have been about! I realized. She just then must have realized what was happening. So I'm guessing she didn't set me up, but tried to protect us.

Mike looked up and his face lit up with recognition.

"Audr-" he started but Audrey quickly cut him off with the megaphone.

"Silence!!" It was very evident that Audrey didn't want the other agents with her to know that we knew her. It would be very bad and suspicious if Audrey knew us alleged 'criminals'. And that was a good thing too, because Hailey didn't know we were actually formally CIA. She still thinks we're FBI.

"Please, ma'am," Hailey pleaded, "We don't know anything. I'm sure this is a big misunder-"

"No more talking," Audrey said calmly, yet coldy. It was a very familiar tone that Erica used. It was also very intimating and terrifying still, even though I knew her.

"Cuff them," she told her soldiers. They got handcuffs out and started to cuff my friends.

Audrey, however, made a beeline straight towards me. As she bent down to cuff me, she whispered very quietly in my ear,

"Kick me."

"What?" I whispered.

"Stop being such a baby and kick me," she hissed into my ear. Trusting her, I lashed my leg out and awkwardly hit her in the side. But the way she reacted made it look like I shot her in the side.

Audrey rolled over and groaned, like she had been kicked with all my weight. The two comandos closest to us pointed their guns at me, fingers itching on the triggers.

"No wait," Audrey called out, pretending to wince as she got up, "I'll deal with him. You take care of the rest of them."

"No, Ben!" Hailey called out desperately, believing Audrey's act. Zoe and Mike didn't look like they were concerned for me, just very confused. Erica was acting like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

Audrey finished cuffing me and harshly dragged me into the back and out the door, to the back alley. It was very sketchy back there. Her whole intimating, scary facade dropped to a sympathetic one.

"I'm so sorry," she said, "Look, we don't have much time to let me explain really quickly. I used the equipment to test your glass. The CIA doesn't know that it was me. They think that you somehow got a hold of some equipment to run your own test. That part is my bad because I must have screwed up when I installed the secure malware on your phone because when I put the results on the phone, the CIA found out. And these idiots I'm with don't know you know me or that I did the test and I'd like to keep it that way. And the agents who found this out don't know you all, except for Hailey, were former spies at the CIA itself so again, I'd like to keep it that way. I tried to warn you. And when I called you the first time, I didn't know what I was doing or where I was going. I just thought it was some random drug lord or something here in Nebraska. They don't tell me about the missions until I'm practically there. I called you from the plane."

So that's what the loud sound in the background of the call was.

"Wait, but what about what you said on the call that you were going to tell-" I was cut off by someone banging on the back door to the coffee shop from the other side.

"Agent Hale," one of the other agents called through the door, "The rest of the suspects are secured."

Audrey looked at me with a bit of paic in her eyes. She quickly switched into her 'scary' voice, "Coming. Almost done."

And without even warning me, she punched me in the face. It wasn't too hard that I was collapsing on the ground, but it hurt so bad.

"Owwwww!" I howled, "What the hell was that for?" My face was throbbing.

"There has to be some evidence of a scuffle back here," she answered like it was obvious, "And suck it up. You're a big boy. I didn't even hit you that hard." She grabbed my face and twisted it into the light. "And it's bruising nicely already."

I tried to scowl but it hurt to do so. With that, she marched me back inside and to the waiting CIA truck.


	23. Chapter23

Luckily for our country, the CIA was smarter than SPYDER was ten years ago. Ten years ago, when Audrey (who was working with SPYDER at the time) kidnapped us, they threw us all in the back of one truck. This time, when the CIA was transporting us, they split us up into two different trucks. Zoe, Audrey and I were in one truck while Erica, Mike and Hailey were in the other, in case we tried to work together to overpower the guards. The trucks were designed to look like big-box retail transportation trucks, but the backs were fashioned to look like a jail cell. There was also little door between the driver's seat and the back of the truck, in case an enemy takes over the drivers unbeknownst to the guards in the back.

Because the CIA agents working with Audrey didn't know her background with us, they trusted her to be our only guard. She was in the passenger seat of the truck, while we were locked in the back. The little door made it so they could hear us back there, in case we were plotting something. We weren't though. We trusted Audrey enough to get us out of there.

There was a mini cell type thing in the back of the truck. Zoe was handcuffed to the bars on one side, while I was chained to the other side. We were only about four feet apart, though. We could still talk.

Not that she wanted to. Zoe was refusing all of my efforts to make polite conversation. All she was doing was glaring hatefully at me. I was getting very uncomfortable. I wanted to turn away from her hard eyes or do something but we were locked in.

Finally, after about ten minutes of glaring at me, I finally caved.

"What?" I cried out, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

She glared at me once more, "You know why!"

"No!" I protested, "I really, really don't. You and Hailey both! What is happening?"

"Are you kidding me? No wonder you haven't had any girlfriends!" She rolled her eyes.

That stung. It was a sore spot for me, "Owch!" I exclaimed, "That was very uncalled for!"

Zoe gave me a look of disgust, "Um, sorry to say, but not really."

"Kinda was," I frowned.

"Look Ben," she exhaled, "I guess we're pretending you don't know. Whatever. You've gotta pick. For the time I've known you, you've been very indecisive. You can't pick both. Do you like fishing?"

Well that took a different turn at the end. Very random, "Um... well, I used to. But then, while my dad and I were fishing a few years back, I saw a duck and wanted to feed it, so I reached out. But then that tipped the whole boat and I fell-"

Zoe cut me off abruptly, "Let me give you some fishing advice, Ben. You either reel the fish into the boat, or let it go. Don't drag both fish behind the boat."

That shut me up quickly. It had nothing to do with fishing at all. I knew exactly what she was saying. And then I knew that she knows, or has a sense of what I'm feeling. To be honest, she was right.

"But what if you don't know which fish to reel in? What if you don't know what fish is biggest and tastes the best yet?" I asked, playing along with her metaphor.

Zoe wrinkled her nose, "Okay, let's stop with the whole fishing comparison. That got dirty fast. You ruined it."

Okay, yep, I should've thought about it more before I said it aloud.

"Ben, I know you still care about Erica. I do too. But you have to ask yourself if the type of caring is romantic. It's been ten freakin years Ben. What you guys had ten years ago was special, I know. But you've gotta remember, that was a long time ago. You both are very different people then you were back then. I think you might love the idea of liking Erica romantically, more than you do actually like her. You liked that relationship you had together a whole decade ago. Does that make sense?"

"Not really." I replied honestly.

She sighed, "Ben, Hailey is an amazing person. She's smart, like you, is super kind and funny. And you guys are supposed to be pursuing something, right? Then why are you being disloyal?"

"What?" I asked, a bit panicked. I didn't want to be disloyal to anyone.

"To Hailey or to Erica. Whoever you want to be with. You're acting like Kurt."

That really offended me, "Kurt?! No I'm not!"

"Not to the extent Kurt was, but a little bit. You're being disloyal to the person you truly want to be with. You can't be with two people. Release one and let the other one go. Don't drag them both along, or they'll cut the line themselves."

"I thought we were done with the fish stuff," I mumbled under my breath while I was thinking. I guess Zoe was right. I was unsure of my feelings towards Erica. I really liked Hailey. She was smart, funny, pretty and I could honestly see a future with her. But Erica. I really liked Erica too, but maybe not in a romantic way. More in a friendly way. I didn't want to completely friend-zone Erica if she was into me, but she hasn't really said anything about our relationship and if we want to try things out. I really appreciate Hailey speaking her mind and putting herself out there. Hailey was upfront and asked to try things out. I think part of the reason I am still contemplating this is because I don't want to abandon Erica. I know that sounds crazy. Erica didn't ever directly indicate that she likes me. However, I didn't want to make Erica think that I had forgotten everything we went through ten years ago. I didn't want her to think I forgot about her, and what we had.

Holy crap. I finally realized it. Zoe was right. I was in love with the idea of liking Erica, more than I liked her myself.

"Ben, I know it's a lot to think about," Zoe reassured, "But Hailey is really into you. She told me when we were talking outside of the mourage. Erica is a lovely person. She's a great person and an amazing friend. But don't let what happened between you guys ten years ago taint your judgement. You and Erica don't really have much in common anymore. The thing that binds you together ten years ago was being a spy, and now you guys aren't anymore. She's an international celebrity. You're an accountant. You and Hailey have so much more in common. You're both unfathomably smart, both funny, kind and look great together. And I don't want to seem rude, but does Erica even like you? She literally hooked up with Cameron while you were here. If she liked you, why would she do that? Erica never really indicated that she liked you. Hailey, on the other hand, put herself out there for you. Don't ignore that. I'm not picking sides here but..."

"Sounds like you are," I bit back, coming off way more aggressive than I intended. My mind was a whirlwind. I contemplated everything that Zoe said.

"But what about the kiss Erica gave me at the game?" I asked Zoe. She was a girl, maybe she knew about this kind of thing. And when Erica and I exploded at each other about it, Zoe stayed pretty tight-lipped.

Zoe sighed, "I don't think that was anything. You and Erica have kissed before in the past when you were into each other, right? Did it feel the same as this one? I'm guessing she was a little bit drunk and not thinking straight. I don't think you should overreact about that."

I thought about this once more. But when I thought back, I realized that I was happy with Hailey. Erica showed little to no interest in me, and if she didn't want to do this, why would I force her? I really did want to see where things could go with Hailey. She was into me, and I finally knew for sure I was into her. I had made my decision.

"I know who I want to be with. Not both of them. Hailey. Just Hailey," I told Zoe confidently.

Zoe smiled, "I'm glad you know, Ben. I think that'll make it easier for everyone."

"And I'm going to talk to Erica," I decided at that moment, "I'm going to have a candid conversation with Erica about this whole thing. I want Erica to hear it from me, and talk about it."

Zoe nodded happily, "That's a really good idea. You should talk to Hailey, too. Admit your true feelings, and don't be afraid to be vulnerable. Girls love that." She gave me a playful, sly wink.

Before I could respond, the truck hit a giant pothole. The roads in this farm area were poorly maintained. We jumped in our seats, as far as the handcuffs allowed us. Right, I almost forgot that we were in a CIA truck falsely accused of directly using CIA property. I think Zoe forgot as well.

"What are we going to do about this?" Zoe said, eyes darting around the back of the truck.

"Trust Audrey..." I said with less confidence than I intended. I did trust Audrey, but I was also very concerned how she would help us without incriminating herself.

"I guess..." Zoe said, sounding even less sure than I was. She seemed to be having the same concerns that I was.

After about ten more minutes of driving, we were here. Wherever 'here' was. The truck stopped moving and shut the engine off. A few moments later, Audrey unhitched the latch to the truck door and threw it open, exposing us to the sunlight. We both squited at the sudden brightness. Audrey hopped into the truck and unlocked our handcuffs that we locked to the truck's cells, only to lock them back behind our backs when we exited. When we got out of the truck, I couldn't hide my surprise.

We were on a huge tarmac. Not in the airport part of it, no, the actual tarmac itself. There were planes parked in the distance. We could see the actual airport from here, but we were standing on the concrete where the planes were. I just prayed we weren't on the runway.

But parked closest to us, was a small, government plane. It looked like those private jets celebrities (and I think Erica nowadays) owns, but this plane was painted black and significantly less nice. It was dented in too many places and probably couldn't be legal to fly, yet the CIA played by their own rules.

Even Erica looked a bit surprised when I saw her, Mike and Hailey exit the other truck. Mike looked excited at the new adventure, while Haiely looked around cautiously. She was still new to this whole spy thing and these weird spur-of-the-moment activities.

But I quickly realized that if we were on an airport tarmac and there was a government plane right here, we were supposed to be going somewhere far. And that couldn't be good at all. First, we were nowhere near solving the case of Mark's death or now disappearance. In fact, this trip may have made the mystery worse and opened a whole new can of worms. Second, all of our stuff is still at the Dazy's farm. I'm sure we can get it back when (and if) this whole mission is over, but for me, that was basically all I owned. When I lost my apartment and packed up to leave for LA, I took almost all my belongings with me.

Is this Audrey's idea of helping us? Getting us on this sketchy plane to who knows where? This was not what I had in mind.

Zoe looked even more upset about our sudden trip that I did. She quickly turned to Audrey, who was talking to another guard.

"Excuse me?!" Zoe demanded, "Where do you think you're taking us?!"

Audrey opened her mouth to respond, but the guard she was talking to beat her to it.

"Wherever we want," he said in a nasally voice, "You're suspects in a federal investigation. You have no right to question what-"

Audrey cut him off, "It's fine, Dale. You're coming with us to Washington DC."

Zoe looked like she was about to protest, but held her tongue once an agent with a big gun started to lead her towards the plane. The other guards were leading the rest of us too. Audrey was doing nothing to stop them. Was she really going to let us go to DC?

There was nothing we could do, so I didn't argue. We were all loaded into the back half of the plane. It was fashioned as a prisoner transportation plane, with the back half secure and the front half (with the pilot and everything) set up for the CIA agents. The thing separating us was a door, like the train doors you generally see splitting the cars up. This door however was steel and very heavy.

On our half of the plane, there were these little pod type things. No, they weren't fancy first class pods like some international flight do, but sturdy and ominous. I think they were even soundproof, with cameras so the agents could watch us in there. Each pod had two old, gross seats in them. I guess the idea was the same as that in the trucks. Split us up so we couldn't plot to band together and take over the plane.

I was planning to sit down next to Hailey for the flight. I could admit my feelings to her, and hopefully we can make up from whatever fight I didn't know we were having. However, when she entered the plane, she looked right at me, and promptly sat down next to Zoe. Mike came on next and claimed a pod for himself, saying he wanted to take a nap. Erica, however, as last on the plane She looked at me and tried to walk past my pod as well, but Mike insisted he wanted to be alone. Her only choice was to sit next to me. The guards unlocked our cuffs, thinking there was no way we could escape twenty thousand feet in the air. The guard was right. Although we weren't very game to go do DC, there was really nothing we could do.

Erica plopped down in the aslie, closest to the pod door. The guard closed it. I was on the window seat and purposefully pretended to look far into the distance. Audrey said over the speakers she needed to do a few checks on the outside of the plane, but that we'll be taking off shortly. Erica and I avoided talking to each other the whole time during takeoff. I realized though that this would be the best opportunity I would have to speak with Erica privately about my feelings. I was really reluctant to do so, but I was going to have to anyway.

I finally turned to Erica, "Look," I said very awkwardly, "I don't know how else to say this: I really like Hailey." I really should have thought about how I wanted the conversation to go before I opened my mouth.

Erica turned to me as well. Her raven hair glinted in the sun. "I know." She said simply.

That threw me for a little bit of a loop, "You-you do?" I stuttered.

"Yeah, anyone with eyeballs could see that," she said cooly.

"Are you mad?" I asked, before I could stop myself.

"No," Erica said with an edge in her voice, "I'm not mad. Why would I be? It's not like we were ever in a relationship."

That's the exact same thing she said to me when I confronted her about Cameron.

"Well, I, ah..." I trailed off. This is now how I expected this conversation to go, "Um. Well. You seemed a little jealous earlier today when Hailey and I were holding hands."

She narrowed her eyes at me, "Okay, maybe I was, a little. It's been awhile since I've been in a dedicated relationship."

I didn't know what to say to that.

But then Erica continued. She softened significantly, "Look, Ben, I have no right to be mad at you for liking Hailey. As far as I know, she honestly seems like a nice, genuine person. You're both smart and seem great for each other. What we had long ago was special, sure, but I didn't expect us to pick up where we left off and I'm glad you're finally realizing it."

Wow, Erica really has changed in ten years. She's been opening up in so many different ways in these past few days. Being an international celebrity changes people, and maybe not always in worse ways like the public assumes. I was happy to have this conversation with her and it would honestly be great for my conscious if she, well approved isn't the right word, but supported me. And so far, she seems to be doing that.

"I have," I agreed, "And I realize that we're just such different people." I was apprehensive of saying this, because it suggests that we could have been together. I was wary of her response.

But to my delight, she nodded in agreement, "Yeah, we are. It's been a long ten years. If we were different people, or in different stages in our lives, it could have worked. Plus, I cannot get mad at you for Hailey. I have no right. I would be the biggest hypocrite in the world. I told you that you had no right to be mad about me and Cameron, and that it was my own life. This is your life and Ben, Hailey is great for you."

I can't explain what a huge weight was lifted off my chest. The only uncertainty I had about me and Hailey was Erica. But now, I was certain that I wanted to fully commit to Hailey. And she even seemed to like Hailey, which was surprising as she doesn't normally come to like people she just met. And it seemed genuine, not like she was just saying that for me.

But something else was nagging me. When Erica talked about Cameron, I was still wondering about what happened between them and most importantly, why. I didn't want to push my luck when Erica was opening up to me, but curiosity got the better of me.

"Speaking of Cameron, what happened between you guys? I know you said that it's your life and your business, but I'm curious."

Erica sighed, "Well, I was drunk. Also, it really isn't your business if I actually did it because I wanted to do it with him."

"Wait," I processed what she said, "You didn't want to?"

"I never hooked up with Cameron, despite what it looked like." Erica looked around our secluded pod and sighed, "I guess this is the best time to tell you. These walls are soundproof. Okay, remember after we met Mike and Cameron whisked him away? And then you and Zoe went to the bar, while I left you guys?"

I nodded. I definitely remember my social anxiety spiking.

"While I was dancing and drinking, this young guy came up to me. I swear, he looked only nineteen or twenty. He looked too young to be in the bar. He obviously found me attractive, so he started flirting with me. And guess what he said:"

I was on the edge of my seat on this story. I haven't heard anything about this.

"He said that he was a recent high school graduate, one of the best promising baseball players in the next season of the MLB. He was bragging how he was probably going to be signed to the Red Sox in the next season. This guy was also saying how his agent was one of the best and was working hard just for him. I asked him who his agent was, and what I was fearing happened. He pointed to Cameron."

My jaw dropped. What did this mean?

"Wait what?" I asked.

"So I went to investigate. I pretended to be into Cameron, and that led to that make-out session in front of his door. He invited me in, and I didn't want to be rude and wanted the info out of him, so I went. I swear, we did nothing. All I did was eat his twenty dollar mini-bar pringles and convinced him to buy me room service. So I subtly asked him about this new kid. Like the kid, he wanted to show off, so he told me what was going on. Mike was ruining his reputation as an agent. Mike was a complete mess and everyone started to blame Cameron for part of Mike's issues with addiction. So about a year ago, when it got really bad, Cameron went out to Mississippi to scout this new kid. Cameron thought that his career with Mike wasn't going to last very long and needed a backup plan. But once he saw actually how good this kid was, his route changed. He thought this kid was better and had much more potential than Mike. Did you ever wonder why Mike was allowed to throw these raging parties before games and ruin his own career? Wouldn't you think someone, especially Cameron, who is concerned for his job, try to shut them down?"

I considered that for a moment as well. That was very true. Mike was ruining his career. Everyone could see that. But no one was telling him not to. Not directly anyways. The one person who should have been telling Mike was Cameron.

"Anyway," Erica continued, "I pressured Cameron to talk more. He actually admitted to me that after Mike spiraled into addiction, he was trying to make it worse, by giving Mike drugs, alcohol and organizing the raging bar parties. Precisely what he wanted happened in the game we went to. He wanted Mike to get suspended or even expelled, which he did, so Cameron could focus on the career of a more grounded and player that apparently has more potential. The city of Boston adores Mike, even if he's a druggie and addict, and it'll look bad if Cameron dropped Mike as a client. No one would like or respect Cameron anymore, thus rejecting his players. However, if Mike gets suspended himself, there's no one to blame Cameron."

I knew I had a bad feeling about that guy! He was a lying, cheating scumbag. I was getting mad on Mike's behalf. Cameron had basically ruined his career himself. He fed Mike's addiction, to the point where there was little hope of forgiveness and return.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I demanded, a little frustrated. Erica could have potentially stopped this.

"When would I have said anything? While Cameron was there? I only figured out the night before we left. I wasn't about to tell Mike because he would be all messed up mentally for the mission. Plus, there's nothing he can do about it now, until he gets back to Boston. Or Mike would have stayed back and made the matter worse, looking like he's spinning false accusations to preserve his own ego and career. It would look even worse."

That definitely made sense. I could see where she was coming from.

"But when are you going to tell him?" I asked.

"When this mission is over, and when it seems like he's over the drinking and drugs, so he can make a rational decision on how to move forward."

I nodded. That was reasonable. I turned to look out the window for the first time. The CIA didn't bother barring the windows because it would be suicidal to try to escape out the window without a parachute. The mountain ranges were starting to look familiar. It seems like we were already passing North Carolina and heading into Virgina. We were making great time. I guess if you're a CIA pilot transporting suspected fugitives then you're allowed to speed a little bit in the air. A lot a bit, based on the way the terrain was just a blur underneath.

I turned to tell Erica about the plane's speed, when something else caught my eye. The jet engine was on fire.


	24. Chapter24

**Okay I'm up to speed now. I'm so sorry. Please enjoy all four chapters!**

Our seat pod was overlooking that right wing of the airplane. From there, I could see the engine attached to the wing was smoking. A lot. And I even thought I saw a little flame spouting from the turbines in the engine.

Erica was curious about what I was looking at, so she leaned over to look out the window. She swore loudly.

"That's not good," I said.

"Ya thank?" She said sarcastically as she started banging on the pod door.

The door slid open to a cranky looking agent.

"What is it?" He asked gruffly. I merely pointed out the window. He squinted and realized what we were freaking out about. His entire face turned sheet white and panic filled his eyes.

"Agent Hale!" He squealed, voice getting ten octaves higher, "Get over here now!" This caught the attention of the rest of the plane.

"What's going on?" Zoe asked from the nearby pod. The guards opened their pod doors in case we need to do an emergency landing or protocol of some sort.

Audrey came over to our pod and looked out the window. She barely had any reaction to it. Wow, the Hale sisters really don't really react to much.

She simply left the pod and told our panicking guard, "Initiate emergency protocol A-14-R2. I'll see if the pilot can find a location for an emergency landing."

"What about the prisoners?" The guard asked.

Audrey gave him a hard look, "We're not going to leave them to crash on this plane. Explain to them A-14-R2 and get them prepared." With that she swiftly left and headed towards the cockpit.

The guards then explained to us what emergency A-14-R2 was. It sounded more badass when it was put in the fancy term. The protocol was merely to put a parachute on and pray for the best. We all had parachutes under our seats concidenty (there must be an issue if the CIA always has parachutes under the plane seats). From our experience with spy school, we all knew how to put them on and operate them, save for Hailey. But Zoe was helping her and explaining it to her.

I wanted to still talk to Hailey, but this was definitely not the time. But if we died here, I also didn't want to die without telling her. The scary reality of the situation hasn't fully set in for me or anyone else yet. The engine was merely smoking, it's not like it was bursting into flames or anything so there was a sense of security at the moment so far. We were just preparing right now, not actually doing anything.

Working a parachute is fairly simple. After you jump and gather a bit of air, you pull this pin on your backpack which deploys the parachute. If the parachute is too high or low in the air, there are certain lines you can cut with your knife attached to the slide. There are about five lines on each side of the parachute once it's deployed. You can cut certain ones to adjust the height based on the wind.

We all sat anxietiously in our seats, except for Erica. She was unfazed by all of this. No surprise there. The guards were also preparing for an emergency jump with their own parachutes. It was very evident that the agents, except Audrey of course, on this mission were not in any way the creme of the crop. These seemed to be the people who barely eked by in training (and would probably be my co-workers if I stayed with the CIA) and were not cut out for this. I mean, this was supposed to be a simple go-to-Nebraska-to-pick-up-some-nonviolent-criminals type of mission. Now it was turning into a potentially dangerous plane crash. Some guards were freaking out worse than us. One guy I think may have passed out due to a panic attack.

Suddenly, we heard a large boom. Instinctively, we all took cover in our seats. Many people, including the guards, screamed loudly. My scream was higher pitched than I care to admit. I immediately looked out my window, where the loud sound occured. The engine that was flaming was missing entirely. Wonderful.

"We lost an engine!" I shouted over the chaos.

"What?" Our guard squealed, "We lost an engine?!" He started hyperventilating.

"Keep it together Chad!" Another guard yelled at him. Our guard, Chad, I guess, took his inhaler out of his pocket and puffed it many times.

This gave me flashbacks to when we were all flying over Mexico to get to SPYDER's base at that resort. But this time, instead of flying over a Mexican forest, we were flying over a clump of trees in Virginia.

But something occurred to me in this chaos. Why was everyone freaking out? According to my calculations, an aircraft can still glide perfectly well without one or even both engines. Yes, we might lose altitude and will still have to make an emergency landing, but it should be a safe and controlled one. Even if both engines fail, the airplane is no longer being pushed forwards, therefore in order to keep the air flowing over the wings, the aircraft must exchange energy through losing altitude to maintain forward airspeed.We don't need to jump or anything. Any good pilot should know this. Why weren't they alerting the rest of us?

Before I could tell anyone anything, Audrey came rushing back. She looked concerned, but not panicked.

"We've gotta jump," Audrey said simply.

"WHAT?" Mike shouted.

Audrey nodded, "We just lost an engine. This is the best place to do it, too. We're over some plain Virginia fields and should make for an easy parachute landing. Prisoners will jump first and we'll follow directly after." This did not ease the nerves of any guard, but they followed her orders.

"Wait why can't we just do an emergency landing in the plain fields?" I asked Audrey.

She narrowed her eyes at me, "Don't ask questions. Do what I'm telling you." I get she was trying to maintain that facade, but this time I really wanted her to listen to me.

Reluctantly, we started getting up and lining up next to the emergency door. According to Audrey, we were jumping before any of the guards.

"Wait, guys!" I tried to talk to my friends as they were doing final checks on their parachutes, "We don't need to jump! The plane should glide until we have a safe place to land! There's no use!"

But no one was listening to me. They were all checking each other's parachutes.

Erica was going to jump first, since she had the most experience. Zoe was going to follow her and Hailey after that. I was going after Hailey and Mike was pulling up the back.

"Look Ben!" Zoe finally shouted at me after she was done checking her parachute, "I trust myself and a parachute a lot more than I do a plane with one engine. We're jumping."

"But we-" I was cut off by Audrey yanking the emergency door open. The sound of rushing air was deafening and the air was threatening to yank us all out right then. We grasped on to whatever we could.

Erica was calmly grabbing the handle next to the open door, ready for the signal to jump. We were hovering over some plain, bare farm fields with a giant forest of trees just North of them.

"Erica, GO!" Audrey yelled over the rushing wind. Erica calmly jumped out of the plane, like she was jumping into a swimming pool. After a few seconds of freefalling, she safely deployed her parachute.

But suddenly, strong winds came out of nowhere and aggressively sent her towards the trees, not the safe farm fields.

"We've gotta adjust course to land on the farm fields!" I yelled at Audrey, who was standing there, looking out and looking very concentrated.

But, without warning, Zoe jumped too.

"Wait!" Audrey screamed at Zoe, but it was too late. She didn't wait for the signal. Hailey, trusting Zoe a lot more than Audrey, jumped a few seconds after Zoe.

Suddenly, it was my turn. "Wait, are we changing course?" I yelled at Audrey.

Before she could answer, Mike started screaming at me, "Just GO Ben! If we change course now, that'll take at least a few minutes and we'll be separated from the rest of them. I don't trust us alone! Stop being a baby and jump! Or I'll push you out!"

I took a shaky breath, and looked out. Wow, we were high up. Obviously not as high as regular cruising altitude,but still very high up. I faintly saw Erica's parachute on the ground in the forest and Zoe preparing to land as well. Hailey was gliding and was seeming to do fine.

"Ben GO! I'm going to push you!" Mike yelled from right behind me.

Not wanting Mike to push me, I impulsively jumped out of the plane.

The adrenaline hit me hard and I was free falling for a little bit. Not going to lie, it was exhilarating. It's not every day you get to go skydiving.

After a few seconds, it was time for me to pull out the parachute. I yanked on the pin in the backpack. I was expecting to feel that familiar pull of the parachute deploying and catching the air, which would slow my speed down significantly. Instead, there was no slowing down at all. It's like it didn't even deploy. I was plummeting to the ground.

If I thought adrenaline hit me before, it was nothing like the adrenaline I was feeling now. I looked up and around and noticed that my parachute did indeed deploy. The issue was that all of the ten lines supposed to be supporting the parachute were tangled up. The parachute was in a messy ball above me. It was catching none of the air it was supposed to. It was like I wasn't even wearing one.

I processed all of this in half a second. I faintly heard Mike yelling to me to cut the ropes. That made sense. If I cut all of the ropes, at least I avoided the risk of me getting tangled in them and limiting my body movement. It's not like they were helping at all.

Using the knife, I cut all ten ropes. The parachute flew off behind me. I didn't have time to worry about that now. I was literally falling to my death without anything to help me.

Random safety tips from spy school started popping into my head. Suddenly, I remembered one about parachuting. Using my prior knowledge, I spread my arms and legs out, looking like starfish. The point of doing that was to increase drag and increase surface area to hopefully slow my fall down. I was hoping the trees would somewhat cushion my fall.

I heard whooshing from above me. Mike was tucked into a dive ball, decreasing his own drag, and coming in very fast, even with his perfectly deployed parachute. He was coming directly at me. I had no idea what was going on, but kept my starfish position as it was reducing my speed a little bit.

Mike was getting super close to me. Like dangerously close on normal times. I honestly thought he was going to smack right into me from my back. Once he got super close, he went into the position I was in, the starfish. That slowed him down significantly. Without warning, he glided right above me and grabbed my arms. I get what he was doing. He literally caught me so I wouldn't hit the ground with full force. Mike was smart. That took a lot of skill. And he also saved my life.

We luckily landed safely in the forest near the others. They were all watching his mess unfold with horror on their faces. When we landed safely, Hailey let out a sigh of relief.

Zoe cut us free from the parachute. When I finally had a chance to breathe, I went over to Mike.

"Thanks man," I said, "You saved my life."

Mike shrugged it off, "It's all good. You'd do that for me." And that was all that was said about the matter. Mike and I knew each other well enough that we were grateful for each other and could express that without words.

"And plus, that's why you should have been checking your gear instead of telling us all not to jump," Mike joked. I smiled.

I looked up, expecting to see a guard or someone jumping. But the plane was nowhere to be found.

"Where'd the plane go?" I asked, very concerned for Audrey.

"They changed course after Mike jumped. I think they're finding somewhere else nearby to land for a safer landing spot. It was dangerous to jump into the forest," Erica said.

"I'm glad you're both okay," Hailey said, but not looking at us. It seemed sincere, but I think she was still mad at me from before. And yet I still don't know what it was about. But now I'm fully committed to her and willing to express that, hopefully she'll tell me and forgive me. We'll see.

There was a beat where we all were just looking at each other.

"Uh, what now?" Mike asked.

"Wait for the CIA?" I suggested.

Erica shook her head. "We want to go back to the people who captured us? Um I don't think I want to do that. Plus we don't even know where they went. It could take a long time for them to reach us. I think we should start heading to Washington DC. We were only like thirty minutes away from when we jumped. We just have to head North East, like the plane was doing. Sooner or later we'll probably find someone that could help us."

"Like... walking?" Mike said, indicating very clearly he did not like that idea. None of us were too on board either. We were tired and that might have been the last thing we wanted.

But knowing that it was the only option we really had at that point, we leaded off. Some of us (like me and Erica) had our phones still in our pocket but Zoe lost hers on the way down. She wasn't too happy about it, but Erica just said she'll buy her a new one. Oh how nice it would be to be rich. But the issue was there was absolutely no service out here.

As much as this sucked, it made me kind of happy. It reminded me of trudging through the hot mexican forest with Mike, Zoe, Erica and... oh wow Murray. I haven't thought about Murray in years. I wonder if he is still trying to make it as an evil mastermind. Or maybe he's trying to make a better life for himself. Ha. Who am I kidding? It's Murray.

More realistically, this was almost the exact same situation I was in all the way back, twelve years ago, when Alexander and Erica and I were stuck in the wilderness. The type of terrain was similar to that. We were walking between trees, on faces of giant flat rocks and even across rivers. It would be exciting if I wasn't hot, exhausted and worried about my relationship with Hailey.

Hailey wasn't walking with or really near me at all. She mainly walked with Zoe, who she was getting close with. Hailey loved to hear funny parenting stories from Zoe. At one point, even Erica and Hailey were having a conversation to the point where Erica was actually laughing. Her laughing isn't as rare as it used to be, but it's still uncommon. It made me happy that Erica likes Hailey. It took a weight off my chest.

Mike, my forever best friend, walked with me in silent support. We didn't talk, but we walked together.

Finally, I decided I should talk to her. To figure out why she was avoiding me, and to finally tell her how I feel.

As we were walking on this flat dirt landscape, I interrupted the conversation between Zoe and Hailey.

"Hey, Hailey, can I talk to you?" I asked timidly.

She didn't seem too happy, but reluctantly fell into step next to me.

"What?" she said harshly.

"I um... wanted to know why you were mad at me." I said.

Hailey gave me a hard look, "Are you serious? You know why."

Why does everyone assume I know why they're mad at me? I have no idea.

"I don't know why. And I don't want you to be mad at me, Hailey. Will you tell me what's wrong?"

She gave me a hard stare, "Are you kidding me? If you can't figure that out then I don't think this- us," she gestured between us, "can work."

"No, Hailey, please," this is not how I wanted this conversation to go. In front of us, Erica, Mike and Zoe were walking in a line, pretending not to be listening in, but it was evident they were.

Hailey let out a big sigh, "Are you seriously going to make me say it Ben? You really want to make me say it here?!"

Having no idea what she was talking about, I just nodded.

"Ben, I'm not blind! I'm not an idiot, contrary to what you think!" Hailey yelled at me.

"What?" I asked, sounding quite dumb. Was this whole thing about the fact she doesn't think I think she's smart? I think she's brilliant! She's a freakin neuroscientist! That takes more brain power than an accountant!

"You know what, Ben! I'm saying it! I don't care if that certain someone hears!" She yelled at me, "I'm not an idiot! I know you were only holding hands with me and pretending to be affectionate with me at the coffee shop to make Erica jealous!"

I had nothing to say to that. It surprised me, to say the least. But I guess it shouldn't have. Whether I realized it or not, I was doing that.

Before I could come up with a response, she kept going.

"After I confessed that I had some feelings for me and that I wanted to pursue something, you AGREED and then pulled this BS? Do you even care about me, or are you using me? Are you just using me to be with Erica?! Is that all I am to you?! Did you even mean the fact that you like me?!"

Wow. I'm an as*hole. Hailey was right. I was using her to try to make Erica jealous in the beginning, especially at the coffee shop. I didn't know she picked up on that, and I understand her anger and frustration. That wasn't cool of me at all. But after that talk with Zoe, I realized that I wanted Hailey, not Erica. And Erica and I even talked about it. But Hailey knew none of that. She probably thought I was a douche just using her to get to Erica, which is what I was technically doing. Wow.

I didn't know what to say.

"Wow, Hailey, I-I'm really sorry," I said sincerely, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings in any way. I really care about you and I-" She cut me off very angrily.

"So you admit it?!" Hailey shouted at me.

"Huh?" I said, confused.

"So you admit that you were using me to try to be with Erica? Right after saying you want to pursue something with me?!"

"Um..." I had no idea what to say. Time was running out. I didn't want to sound insensitive but to a degree that was what I was doing, "Hailey, I can expl-"

"No." She cut me off firmly, "You've said enough. If you are the kind of person who uses other people like this, I want nothing to do with you."

With that, she stormed ahead and didn't look back. I was stuck, like my feet were rooted to the ground, and did nothing. I didn't know what to do.

We kept walking for another ten minutes. Hailey was way in the front, I was way in the back and Zoe, Erica and MIke were in between us.

After about ten minutes, Zoe walked ahead to talk to Hailey and surprisingly, Erica came back to talk to me.

"Is it true?" She asked me bluntly.

"What?" I replied, sounding miserable.

"What Hailey said. Did you use her to try to make me jealous?"

I didn' want to let Erica know. That's embarrassing and makes me look like an even bigger jerk.

"Well, I-" I was quickly cut off.

"It's a yes or no question, Ben," she said coldly.

"Yes," I admitted drearily.

"Hmm," was all Erica said. It didn't seem like she was mad or amused or flattered at my attempts. I already admitted to her that I was into Hailey. She just seemed disappointed in me, which somehow was worse.

"Erica, look, I'm really, really sorry. I-"

Erica cut me off, "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." That was true. Very true. I was thinking of a response when Erica yelled out to everyone.

"Guys, it's getting dark. I don't know, I guess we should find somewhere to spend the night? And maybe something to eat?" With all that's been going on, I didn't even realize it was getting very dark and my stomach was growling.

Erica found this nice little clearing and with all of our help, fashioned some branches and logs together into a makeshift fort. We were near Washington DC. I could hear the city and even see the city lights peaking above the trees. But it was still too far to walk tonight. We were going to have to go the rest of the way tomorrow.

Zoe and Hailey went to go look for some berries to eat. Even though my stomach was growling, everything that happened with Hailey was making me sick. I was sick. I didn't have much of an appetite.

I ate very little, even when Zoe and Hailey got back with some berries. It was pitch dark out and Mike, Erica and I were using our phones as flashlights. We still didn't have any service.

Even though it was early, only around nine o'clock, we were all mentally and physically exhausted. Erica was going to take the first shift, in case a bear or something came. I was too tired to even care and I fell asleep fast.

After a few hours, Zoe was shaking me awake. I thought my shift was at 3am-ish? It seemed to be only eleven at night.

"We hear voices," Zoe whispered into my ear. Everyone else was awake, too. Erica was standing up, prepared to take on whoever was out there. The rest of us were sitting very quietly, not daring to make a sound.

The people approaching were making no effort to hide their noise, however. They sounded like bulls, stumbling around in the forest.

"Dammit!" One of them swore, "I think I ran into a spider web." The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but I couldn't place it, as they were still far away.

"Ugh I thought she said they were going to be close by!" Another one grumbled. Erica tensed, prepared for a fight.

The people finally got close enough for us to make out their silhouettes in the dark. It was two men, with two flashlights. We didn't have our flashlights on.

Once they got close to the camp, Erica attacked them. She punched the first guy directly in the face while kicking the other guy in the side. The first man howled in pain, clutching his face. The other guy, however, recovered very quickly. He leaped up and threw a well timed punch at Erica's face. She ducked it jsut in time. Since he commited so much force into the punch, missing her face threw him way off balance and she used that unbalanced weight to grab his arm and painfully wrench it backwards. Erica shoved him down face first into the soft dirt and pinned him down. Her knee was on the back of his neck and she had painfully and unnaturally twisted his arm and pinned in on his back. He groaned in pain. The other guy, who Erica punched first, knew it was a lost cause and stayed down.

We were used to this spectacle, but Hailey wasn't. She gasped and winced at their expense. There was also new respect on her face for Erica.

Now that the threats were contained, Mike and I approached them with our flashlights on. Hailey and Zoe were close behind us. When we shined the light on their faces, I couldn't contain my shock.

Erica was pinning Jawa to the ground and Chip was clutching his face against a tree. What were they doing here?


	25. Chapter25

**Again, I'm so sorry this took so long. Here's three chapter updates! I'm so glad you're liking this story! I'm so sorry and enjoy! :)**

Once Jawa and Chip's identities were revealed, Erica released Jawa immediately. Jawa stood up gracefully and brushed himself off. Chip, however, seemed very concerned. He kept gingerly touching his face.

"Erica, I swear!" He squealed as he checked his reflection on this app on his phone, "I better not have a bruise! The director's gonna KILL me if I even have a scratch on my face! You know important continuity is!"

Erica rolled her eyes, "What are you doing here? I thought you were training and you were shooting a movie."

"Wait," Hailey stepped forward, starstruck, "Are you Chip Schneider? THE Chip Schneider? You were in one of my favorite action movies, Coercion!"

I was surprised that Chip was the one she was starstruck about. Hailey's been traveling with Erica Handler, definitely more well-known than Chip.

Chip shot her a flirtatious wink that made my skin boil, "Yes, I am."

"What are you guys doing here?" Erica repeated, "And how did you know where to find us?"

"I was doing a meet-and-greet with other olympians representing the United States in DC. Chip was shooting a movie in DC as well, but production was halted for a few weeks due to this government meeting thing. Audrey called us earlier today, to see if we were in town. It sounded like she was on an airplane or boat; it was very loud. She said that she needed us to come to this forest thing to meet you guys or something." Jawa said.

"And you trusted her?" Erica said, a bit suspiciously.

Jawa shrugged, "Why not? We have time. And I'd be nice to see you guys again." Jawa shot Zoe and Mike polite smiles which they returned.

"So she told you to go in the woods, at night, looking for us?" I asked, a little dubious.

They looked at each other for a beat, "Okay, in retrospect, maybe that wasn't the smartest decision we made." Chip agreed.

"But it worked out!" Jawa grinned. He went over to Mike with his flashlight and gave him a bro five. I guess we just accepted the fact that they were there. I was fine with it; overjoyed even, that they were there. There was a little suspicion that they weren't there for the right reasons, but their story lined up with Audrey timeframe wise.

They told us that Audrey called then around noon, about the time we estimated she figured out about the whole plan to capture us. This must have been her plan all along, before she even got us.

"Wait, hold on, was this her idea of getting us out of the situation? To have us jump out of the plane and escape?" Zoe exclaimed. We were all sitting in a circle on the ground with our phone flashlights. Kinda looked like a cult, but whatever.

"I guess," I concluded, "So did she plan for the plane to go down? How could she? And precisely over the spot she told you guys to find us? That seems like too much of a coincidence."

"Wait, what's going on? Why would that agent help us escape? She's the one who captured us in the first place." Hailey looked visibly lost. I didn't blame her whatsoever. We often forget how little she knows about us. She thinks we're still the FBI somehow.

Before I could decide whether or not to tell her about our second life, Erica made something up on the spot.

"She's a friend of ours. She let us go as FBI agents, so we can catch this guy and possibly stop something suspicious, without having to go through the headache of paperwork to get us out. I'm sure her supervisors signed off on it; the whole show with the jumping must have been just for the other lower rank agents. Chip and Jawa are just helping us."

That was sorta a weak argument but Erica's tone left no room for arguments.

"Maybe isn't a coincidence!" Mike suddenly exclaimed, "I might be crazy but didn't Audrey do a last minute check on the plane right before takeoff? She's not a pilot so why would she need to check on something?"

"What are you suggesting?" Jawa asked curiously.

"Maybe, I don't know, she somehow rigged the airplane to blow?" Mike said skeptically. It did seem awfully far fetched.

Erica, however, shrugged, "It's not the craziest theory. It's completely possible. She could have rigged oil, in a container already in the engine, to release at the exact moment she wants, over this forest. The engine would smoke up and burn, yet avoid the risk of blowing up the entire plane. Oil in the engine is the only explanation for that kind of smoking. She releases it when we're over the field, freaks everyone out, making everyone think that it's gonna blow and help us escape. It's quite brilliant actually."

"That was... oddly specific," Hailey said.

"That plan could also be a reason why she wasn't really freaked out at all when the plane started smoking," Zoe pointed out.

"But what about the people in the plane and the plane itself?" Chip asked, "That plan seems too risky, even for Audrey. There's too many liabilities. What if the fire spreads more rapidly than expected? What if the engine falls off entirely?"

"It did," I informed him. His face turned sheet white.

"It's a calculated risk, sure," Erica said nonchalantly, "But as Ben seemed to have noticed, planes can fly miles without either engine, merely on a glide. It's a safety measure on every plane. The wings have features that help them glide down safely."

This all made sense. If that was really what Audrey had planned, it was very clever. Props to her. Plus it helped us escape without her totally revealing she helped/knew us.

"Well I guess after Audrey figured out the master plan, she called us. She told us to come here and find you guys and take you to the city. So here we are!" Jawa smiled.

"We have a truck if you want to get out of here," Chip said, standing up. We quickly followed suit. Even though we had to trek a little farther into the woods at midnight, it was way better than having to sleep in the woods.

After some long trudging, we finally got to the van. It was a white, regular van. It was a twelve seater, so we had plenty of space. Zoe and Hailey were talking a lot on the walk here, so I was worried Hailey wouldn't want to sit with me again. As first in the van, I chose the very last row, where I could sulk in peace. Mike entered next and sat behind the drivers seat Jawa was occupying. Erica slid in next to him. Chip had the passenger seat.

Hailey was next on the bus. I was expecting her to take the whole middle empty row, but to my delight, she sat next to me with a smile on her face. I eagerly scooted over to give her more space. Zoe sat alone in the middle seat and winked at me as she sat down.

We drove into the dark night. Mike, Zoe and Erica were engaging in a concentrated conversation with Chip and Jawa. Everyone was ignoring us.

"Look, Ben," Hailey said finally, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for icing you out earlier today and being so accusing. That was wrong of me, and I'm sorry."

It was so good to hear that from her. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. She seemed sincere and real.

"And I'm sorry too," I told her, "I shouldn't have used you to make Erica jealous. I don't even care what Erica thinks anymore. We're together now and I couldn't be happier."

Hailey gave me a big smile, "We're together?"

I felt my face heat up. Shoot, I didn't mean for that to slip out, "Um... I mean I would like that. If you're okay with that of course."

Hailey smirked, "Ben, I would absolutely love to be your girlfriend."

My entire face lit up. I couldn't be happier, "Well I would love to be your boyfriend."

And then... well, my body took over. I wrapped my arms around her in the dark, and she did the same. I closed my eyes and went in for our first kiss together. She reciprocated it instantly, passionately kissing me back.

It lasted a few seconds too. It felt naughty, as everyone else was in the van, but no one seemed to notice and care. For me, it felt like two teengers in the back of their parents car, trying not to get caught. It was thrilling and amazing.

We finally pulled away. Hailey's face was all red and seemed shy. But she had a big smile on her face and I'm sure that I did too.

She grabbed my hand and interlaced it with hers. She rested her head on my shoulder and I rested my head on hers. I haven't had much girl action in the last few years, so this was super nice.

"If we can survive an argument, thoughtfully and kindly, I feel strong about this relationship," Hailey grinned and looked up at me.

"I agree," I said looking down at her, "If we can survive a disagreement, we can survive anything."

Hailey smiled and we just sat in that position for a good ten minutes, both not saying anything but just listening to the heated debate going on in the front seats.

After some time, Hailey asked me, "What's your previous relationship with Erica? I'm curious. You obviously seemed like you were into her back in the day."

I nodded, "We um.. grew up together." I hated lying to Hailey about the whole Academy of Espionage thing. I absolutely hated it. But unfortunately, not that I don't trust her, some things are bigger than just my life. Plus I didn't want to risk her safety. And if I tell her about Spy School, then I'll have to explain why and how I know Joshua. Again, I forgot how little she knows. Oh well, I'm sure she'll figure it out very soon. I just pray she won't hate me for having to lie to her, even if it was a direct order from the government.

"Erica and I were good friends back then. In fact, she was my first real crush and first real girlfriend, I guess you could say. But then life got in the way and we haven't seen each other in ten years. Admittedly, I may have still had feelings for her and selfishly tried to win her back and rekindle what we used to have. But we both talked about it and thought we'd do best as friends. But I did use you on the way and for that I'm truly sorry. I am over her and Erica and I are still friends. I care about you and only you now."

Hailey nodded in understanding, "I completely get that. I have men in my past as well. I was talking to Zoe on the walk here. She said you really seemed sorry and that you cared for me, which I really appreciate. I forgive you."

"Thank you," I felt a weight lift off my chest. I couldn't have been happier.

Finally, we got to our destination. Jawa and Chip, to avoid being recognized or draw attention to ourselves, got some rooms in this quaint motel right outside downtown Washington DC. It was next to a sketchy area, but we were far enough away from it that it wasn't an issue.

It was weird being back in Washington DC. My travels took me to California, Illinois, Massachusetts and now I was back "home". Not really home because I lost my apartment. I didn't really recognize where we were (the motel was on the other side of Washington DC that I was used to).

Because of this important government address, the motel was quite full, most tourists wanting to see their favorite politician. There was only enough space for us to get two suites. Erica, Zoe and Hailey shared a room while Jawa, Mike, Chip and I shared the other.

When we checked in, we were all beyond exhausted. It had been a LONG twenty four hours. We started on Dazy's farm all the way in Nebraska and now we were in DC. We survived a parachute jump, the CIA and a dark forest. I just wanted a hot shower and to get to bed.

By the time all of us got to sleep, it was probably around two or three am. Everyone fell asleep fast.

XXX

The next morning, Erica burst into the room FAR too early. It was only nine am and I could have slept for at least two more hours. Hailey and Zoe were behind her, fully dressed and awake. They had worried expressions on their face.

Something felt weird in my stomach. Like there was something off.

"Wake up!" Erica demanded. None of us were happy about it, but once they heard the tone of Erica's voice and read the mood of the room, no one protested.

We got ready very quickly while Erica, Zoe and Hailey were whispering with each other, sounding concerned.

Once all of us boys were ready, Erica turned to face us. Her expression was a bit worried, an expression I wasn't used to from her.

"I got a text this morning. Joshua invited us to his campaign event. Today."

XXX

For a few seconds, everyone just looked at each other. Well that was a shock. We all looked rattled. Hailey especially. She doesn't know our history with 'Joshua Duncan' at all. This was the first time she was going to see him since he lived on their farm. But not only that, she looked specifically worried. Like there was something else.

"What are we going to do?" Mike asked.

"Accept it." Erica said, "We have to. This is our biggest lead yet. According to the invitation, it's at his house."

"It could be a trap," Zoe said cautiously.

"Hold on." Hailey interrupted, "What's going on? Why would going to Joshua Duncan's house be a trap? And what do you mean about a lead?"

Again, the rest of us looked at her, then each other. No one knew what to do. Hailey was in the dark.

"Why are you guys looking at each other? What the hell is going on?" Hailey got increasingly suspicious and wary.

Without thinking and definitely against my better judgement, I blurted it out.

"Hailey, we're spies."

All of my fellow spies' eyes went wide and surprised. No one said anything.

Hailey wheeled on me in complete shock, "WHAT?!"

I opened my mouth to explain, but she cut me off.

"Seriously Ben?! Right after I thought I could trust you?!" She was yelling at this point.

"Hold on!" Zoe intervened, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, "This isn't Ben's fault. We were all spies ten years ago, but not anymore. We're all technically retired. We are forced to lie about it for the safety of this country. It's a government order. Don't get mad at Ben. It's not his fault."

"And I hated to lie to you," I added.

Hailey didn't seem mad anymore, just confused. I could tell a lot of emotions going through her right now, "Wait what is going on? You're CIA? Why are you investigating Joshua? I thought you guys were trying to help my family figure out who killed my father. Not whatever is going on right now."

We looked at each other again. Well, screw it. We already told her about being a spy. We are already in trouble if we get caught. And it's so much easier to function if we didn't have to lie to her.

"Joshua Duncan,"I started, "sounds suspiciously like this old enemy we used to run into when we were spies, Joshua Hallal. He ran a terrorist organization, SPYDER, that blackmailed the government. We fought him all the time. Our investigation into him brought us to you and your family. Conicednely, your father died while Joshua was present. I'm not saying that he killed your father, but he has done much worse in his career of being evil. We have no proof of him being up to anything suspicious at this point. But it is weird that after so many years of manipulating and blackmailing the government, he decides to join them. And take your dad's position. So while investigating Joshua, we are possibly investigating the death of your father."

Hailey had no words for this. She slowly sunk down on the bed in a trancelike state. I didn't blame her. I would be shocked too if I heard that the man who lived with me for years previously ran a terrorist group. And that a man that I trusted could have killed my father. But reading her face, it seems like something else was bothering her. Something big.

After a while, she finally spoke, "That... that can't be possible. You knew Joshua back then, while you were a spy? And Joshua didn't kill my father. That... it can't be possible."

I sat next to her and laid my arm around her, "I know, it's hard to believe. He was really evil back then. Who knows? Maybe he did change and we're suspicious for nothing."

"I trusted him," she said in a small voice, "I didn't know anything about his past like you were saying."

"I know," I said sympathetically, "That's why we have to investigate him. To see if he was up to anything and if he is. That's why we have to go to the convention."

Everyone watched us silently. Hailey stood up slowly, "If what you are telling us is true, why would I want to go? I don't want to see Joshua again if he lied to me and even possibly killed my father. He and I were close and I can't believe he would exploit my family like this."

"We should all go," Erica pointed out, "If you want to know the truth, I'd be best if you come. Maybe you could question Joshua. We want to see if he was lying as much as you do. You could even get some closure."

Hailey was reluctant, but eventually agreed. I felt bad to have bombarded her with all this information. I don't think she fully processed it yet.

And something was off about her from the moment we started talking, especially about the death of her father and Joshua's role in it. She must be doing a form of grieving. It seemed like she was hiding something, probby her emotions, towards it. I felt bad.

Originally, we all thought this was a trap. It literally screams trap. But upon further investigation, this event was planned long before we got involved. It was posted all over his social media. Since he is newly elected, it was a meet and greet for people who haven't met him or don't know him yet. It was for, not only his supporters, but those who are interested in getting to know him. If he planned anything for us, evil intentions, that would be very bad for his cause. He hasn't been in office long enough to make any significant changes. Then there would be no point in being a congressman in the first place. If anything went wrong at this party event, Joshua would be in trouble. It felt safe, so why was he inviting us?

So we got ready. There was a mall nearby and we bought some nicer clothes for the event at five tonight. We got ready and it was almost time to leave.

"Okay," Erica said before we left, "Even though it would be political sucide if Joshua tried anything malicious tonight, we still have to be cautious. No one takes anything from his house. If someone hands you something, put it down. Be aware of your surroundings. And don't take anything with you. No promotional buttons, givebags, nothing. We have to be careful."

We all nodded. That made sense.

And so, we were off. To see Joshua Hallal (or a small chance of Joshua Duncan) for the first time in ten years.


	26. Chapter26

We arrived at the address provided on the invitation. My first thought was how narcissistic Joshua must be. His house was big, white and colonial style. No joke it looked like the ones our founding fathers lived in. But hanging from the second story balcony were three two-story banners with Joshua's face plastered on it. And just as I suspected, Joshua Hallal's face. There were fancy cars rolling up to the front as the valet started to take them away. It was a very crowded and classy event. It seemed very suspicious of Joshua to invite us to this event out of all of them.

Nonetheless, we entered the vast wooden doors in Joshua's house. All of us were on high alert, very cautious of everyone around us. It was packed. Everyone was dressed super nice and mingling in the crowd. Posters and merchandise with Joshua's face was everywhere. It was very unnerving and uncomfortable. Waiters with silver platters of chaminage and finger sandwiches wove through the crowd. Mike immediately picked up one and shoved it in his mouth. Classy.

Most of the people were congested near the front door so once we shoved past all of them, there was room to stand. Along the far wall was a bar, complete with a bartender and bar seating. I might need a drink before this night is over.

There was an impressive buffet spread along the wall closest to us. Mike made a beeline for it, while the rest of us followed closely behind. We were hungry. We loaded our plates with food, intending to leech all the money away from Joshua as possible.

It was weird to say the least about being in Joshua's house. His living room was set up in a party way, with the bar, buffet and tables, but it also did feel like a house. There were rugs and homey furniture all around. One key thing to point out is that there were no pictures, however. There is a distinct possibility it isn't Joshua's house too. I could tell Hailey's emotions were complicated at the moment. This guy, an old friend, is apparently a former (or even current) evil mastermind. He lived at their house and even took her father's job. And now she was seeing him again to figure out if he did something malicious to get the position. It was very confusing.

We didn't want to talk shop while we were here. There was no reason to draw even more unwanted attention. Joshua was nowhere to be found. At events like these, the host normally waits until everyone gets there and does a grand speech, and then mingles with the supporters. It was no surprise we didn't see him yet.

As we were done eating, Erica stood up and announced to all of us, "I have to go to the bathroom. If I am not back in the next ten minutes, assume something bad has happened. We've got to be careful around here."

"What if you're really constipated?" Mike asked with a cheeky grin. I bit the inside of my mouth to stop the laugh that was threatening to spill out.

Erica merely replied with a deadly stare that shut Mike up pretty quickly. She left after that. We really didn't know what to do. I didn't want to speak with his supporters as they might be in disguise for Joshua, so we awkwardly stood in a circle and just talked about boring things. It occurred to me that I was being overly paranoid, but when Joshua is concerned, it's better to be over paranoid than under. Erica came back and we just all stood there. Some guys kept trying to hit on Erica and Hailey, but they were just brushing the guy's attempts off. It was hilarious. I didn't mind anyone hitting on Hailey because it was so funny to see them rejected or Erica giving them a death stare until they bugged off.

Finally, after about forty five minutes, they announced Joshua was going to come out. There was a makeshift stage by the fireplace, elevated about four feet so he could see everyone. This is the moment where we can see with our own eyes the man who tried to kill me multiple times.

Everyone's attention turned to the stage. We were all wary, but most of the guests here were excited. In the grandest way possible, complete with an entire live band, Joshua entered and took his place on the stage. Everyone cheered and he gave a charming smile.

He honestly looked the same as he did ten years ago. He still had a chiseled jawline and a dashing smile. He was taller though, which I don't know how that's possible if he has prosthetic legs. Maybe he had them adjusted to seem taller and give off an aura of authority. He was wearing a full suit, thus hiding his prosthetics. Though with all the new cell regeneration and advanced technology, even without hiding his fake limbs he could still pass as normal.

It's hard to explain the feeling of seeing him here again. Last time I saw him, he was trying to blow up the United Nations meeting. Ten years ago. It was unnerving to say the least. His general presence, even being over twenty feet again, made me anxious. However, it did give me a sense of nostalgia. I've missed the days of spying and now I was back in the game. Not going to lie, it did feel a little bit good.

Erica studied Joshua. I could tell she was already profiling him and dissecting his every move. He wasn't saying anything too exciting. He was thanking us for being here, asking for donations and their votes. Typical politician stuff. He spoke for about ten more minutes. Zoe, Mike, Jawa and Chip stared daggers at him the entire time. Hailey was torn between so many emotions, she just looked overwhelmed.

He finally finished and jumped off the stage, only to be swarmed by supporters and sponsors. He laughed with them and shook their hands graciously. We were in absolute no rush to talk to him, so we backed away and let the people who actually wanted to talk to him have his attention. We hung in the back, all still a bit shocked.

After about another half hour, we realized the crowd had thinned a little bit. Instead of six hundred people, there seemed to be only about four hundred. That was probably due to the fact that Joshua wasn't out here anymore and wasn't talking to anyone. It was weird. Why would he invite us to his event when he doesn't even want to talk to us?

Just as I was completing my thought however, a huge guy built like a tree approached us. He was wearing a suit and an earpiece, looking like a security guard of some sort. Erica immediately shifted her body weight to defensive. The rest of us were on edge too. I was half expecting it to be Dane Brammage, one of Joshua's old henchmen from back in the day. It was a crazy thought though. He was probably nowhere to be found now a days, after all of the illegal things he's participated in. But again, the same could be said about Joshua.

"Hello," the man said politely. He had a deep voice, but it didn't sound threatening. Not yet anyway.

No one replied to him. He tried smiling, but it came out as just weird and awkward. It seemed like he had little experience in this type of situation and was probably only hired because of his unique build.

"Ah... Well... Congressman Duncan requests your presence." He said to us.

There it was. I knew it would be weird if Joshua didn't even talk to us. It was very suspicious he wanted to talk to us in private. There was some merit to it though. We are talking about sensitive topics and it would be bad if someone overheard us. Luckily, there were still a bunch of civilians here so if anything was to happen, they would surely hear it. Hopefully.

Erica looked excited and intrigued. Haily seemed hesitant, but wasn't objecting. The rest of us were just suspicious.

"Lead the way," Erica said.

"Um... not all of you. Only um..." he looked at our faces and pointed with his sausage fingers, "You, you, you and uh... you."

He pointed at me, Erica, Zoe and Mike. Chip looked relieved and Jawa seemed offended. Hailey was a bit offended, but mainly happy that she didn't have to see him at that time. She wanted to talk to him before we all left, but she wasn't ready at the moment.

It wasn't really a wonder why Joshua only picked us four. We've been investigating the longest and were part of the spy school gang. Chip and Jawa only learned of this last night and Hailey wasn't a spy. I was cautious as we followed in through the crowd. Off to the side, there was a hallway with marked bathrooms and closed doors. The guy knocked on one, and it swung open to reveal a mean-looking guard standing there. When he saw who it was, he gruffly opened the door and alerted everyone in the room that we were here.

I entered first and immediately took note of everything in the room, including Joshua Hallal. The vast room was an office with a grand wooden desk and bookshelves lining the walls. Papers were strewn all over the desk, like someone was actually working. It occurred to me that even if Joshua was plotting something evil, he still needed to put in the work and make it seem like he was a legit congressman.

Joshua was leaning casually on the desk, looking passively around the room. There was an agent/guard at each corner. None of them were people I recognize from the spy days or even seemed particularly evil. The only one that seemed likely evil was the one guard who answered the door. But he had a mean resting face, so that could just be how he looks all the time.

Joshua smiled brightly as we entered. He hopped off the desk and offered a hand to shake with Zoe. She made no motion to shake his hand and glared at it like he was offering a dead possum on a stick. He smiled again and was undeterred. Erica was on high alert.

He went back to his desk and leaned on it once more. "Sit!"Joshua said in a friendly tone, gesturing to these big leather chairs set up in front of his desk.

"We'd rather stand," Erica said coldly, looking at him with a deadly glare.

Joshua grinned yet again, "Of course! Whatever makes you most comfortable."

He was making me even more anxious than I was before. Not only was he not threatening or trying to kill us, he was being friendly and kind. What was his game here?

"Look," he finally said, hopping on his desk and letting his prosthetic legs swing off the slides, "I'll cut straight to the chase here. I know you've been trying to investigate me. I know you're all suspicious of me and my position."

Before he could proceed, Zoe spoke up, "Why would you think that?"

He let out a big sigh, "I'm not stupid. I got a call from Diana Dazy, the daughter of Mark Dazy, the man who mentored me. Immediately after you arrived at the farm and started to ask questions about me, she rang me. We've stayed in touch after I left the farm when Mark died. They're all so kind. I was heartbroken when Mark died."

Was he though? I wondered to myself.

"Anyway," he continued, "She rings me and says a group of people are asking about me. I ask her to describe them. He tells me a very pretty girl, nerdy guy, athletic guy and a short girl. I piece it together pretty easily. It's you guys. And I have to say, it's good to see you all again."

"Short girl?" Zoe spits in disdain.

Joshua raised his hands in surrender, "Look, her words, not mine. Anyway, so I know you guys have been suspicious of me. And it makes sense after my questionable past. But I invited you here to prove to you that nothing is going on. I'm not like plotting anything. Those days are long over."

"It seems awfully coincidental you were at the dinner when Mark died. And happened to have taken his position, fast tracking you right to the House of Representatives." I told him.

He nodded, "It does seem like that. And you're not the only one who thinks that. My fellow congressmen are suspicious of the means it took to get here. They're thinking the same thing you are." He let out an exhausted sigh, "I have to work twice as hard just to prove myself at this job. It's a lot of work. And I'm trying my best. It certainly doesn't help when you guys show up. Can't you see my position? I invited you here to prove nothing was going on. Can't you see? Nothing is going on. What more proof do you need?"

He was repeating that phrase about nothing going on a lot of times. It makes me believe the complete opposite.The only part that I remotely believe is that his fellow congressmen don't trust him. In the research we've done on Joshua, it seems like he's isolated from his co-workers. Good.

"A lot more proof," Erica said, crossing her arms loosely in front of her chest.

He gave a desperate look around the room, like he was out of ideas. It seemed forced, although I wasn't sure. At this point, there was a genuine chance he was really an honest congressman.

"I'm trying to rebuild my life," he explained with a seemingly sincere look on his face, "like all of you are. I mean, Erica, you're an international celebrity. Good for you! You all changed your last names, like I did. I'm trying to switch around my life. Once everything in DC failed a decade ago, I was sick of failing. I was losing so much credibility in the evil terrorist circles because I kept getting defeated by this nerdy teenager. So I walked away from that life. I was only nineteen. I had so much more to do with my life. I adopted a new last name and tried to start fresh. Like you all did."

"There's a difference between taking a new last name and stealing it from someone else." Erica stated.

His smile faltered a little bit, like this caught him off guard, "If I was going to get into politics, it needed to be legit. I know politics seemed like an odd choice for me. But I figured, why not? While I was busy trying to undermine the government, I learned a lot about policies and laws and regulations. So I buried myself in my studies and got the amazing opportunity to work for Mark. And I took that chance."

"I don't believe a word you're saying. You're spouting BS right now, expecting us to believe it." Mike said plainly. We all nodded in agreement with him. Joshua looked exasperated.

"Fine, all I'm saying is please don't come after me without hardcore evidence. And as of now, I'm sure you don't." Joshua's cheerful facade dropped into cocky for a second. His familiar smirk was on his face.

"You don't know what we have," Mike said coolly.

Joshua waved his hand dismissively, "Sure, you're right. I'm just saying if you keep trying to expose me and it gets in the way, I'll expose you Erica. Be careful. I'm not up to anything but if you want to keep pursuing this, you might be in big trouble."

His threats were in a casual tone, but we felt the weight of his words clearly.

"I could expose you," Mike said, matching Joshua's tone, "We have proof of you working for SPYDER in the past."

Joshua shrugged, like this didn't affect him in the slightest, "Okay, sure, Mike. I'll just rebuke your claims, saying it was due to the drugs you're on."

Mike glared angrily at Joshua, but didn't give into his bait. Joshua was obviously egging him on, expecting a reaction.

"If this is about getting revenge for Hailey, as I see you, Ben, have gotten close with her, then we can talk about that. That's a whole other conversation." Joshua said, staring directly at me. I felt my heart rate spike.

"What about Hailey?" I asked, very concerned.

"You didn't know?" Joshua smikred, obviously enjoying the fact he had information over me, "Hailey and I dated for a while. I even asked her to move with me out to DC. We had a messy breakup after that."

It made sense! Hailey was telling me about her boyfriend who wouldn't let her see his arms or legs! Joshua's prosthetics! And he was the one who moved too fast? No duh! He wanted to move to DC quickly and Hailey wasn't ready for the jump or the next step! It made sense now! But why didn't she tell me when we revealed our history with Joshua?

Before I could respond, Joshua quickly cut in. "Alright!" he said, clapping his hands as he jumped off the desk, "I just wanted to prove to you all that I'm not up to something. If you don't believe me, well, I tried. Enjoy the rest of the party."

Joshua motioned to the guards along the wall. They were out of earshot, but when they saw Joshua's signal, rushed forward to escort us out. As the guards were trying to shove Erica, she bumped into Joshua's desk, making a bunch of papers flutter to the ground. Joshua huffed in annoyance. The guards shoved us out of the office.

We didn't want Joshua to hear us debriefing after the weird meeting we just had, so we walked silently back to the main living room. I was still having a hard time comprehending their relationship.

The crowd was still about four hundred people. They were all happily chatting and completely unaware of what just happened. I was hungry so I grabbed a cucumber finger sandwich off a lady's tray that was coming out of the kitchen area. I saw Erica grab a peanut butter and jelly mini-sandwich too. I hated to admit it but it was really good. I felt bad grabbing two more, but then I remembered it was Joshua. I grabbed four more instead.

We walked over near the bar so we could talk. Good, I needed a drink. Zoe led us in a beeline. Suddenly, as she was nearing the bar, Zoe completely stopped in her tracks. I ran right into her. Without even apologizing, she did a complete one-eighty and stormed off angrily, shoving people out of her way.

I watched her storm way and turned to the rest of my friends, who were as puzzled as I was.

"What just happened?" Chip asked, emerging from the crowd with Jawa. Hailey wasn't with them.

"I don't know," I replied, "She was just walking towards the bar and just spun around and stormed away."

Erica gave me a confused look, "I'll go after her." And she disappeared into the crowd, following Zoe.

"Ben!" I heard Hailey call out my name. She was sitting at the bar, facing me, talking to a man with his back turned to me. I made my way over to her. I wanted to talk to her about the Joshua situation. I wasn't mad that she didn't tell me before. It was obviously a very rough patch in her life. I was just wondering why she didn't tell me before coming here.

"Come meet this guy I just met!" Hailey said as I was walking over, "He apparently went to Comlubia as well! I wonder if you guys know each other."

I turned to face the guy. Our conversation had to wait. The smile on my face immediately fell. On the guy's face too. Oh I knew him alright. Not from Colubmia though. No, I doubt he even went to Columbia. He was clearly trying to impress Hailey. I wanted to punch this guy straight in the face. Kurt Andrews. Zoe's cheating husband.

We just stared at each other, neither one of us moving. The tension was palpable. Hailey could feel it as well.

"Um... do you know each other?" Hailey said uncretainly, but already assumed the answer.

Wordlessly, Kurt tried to get up in a hurry, nearly knocking the barstool down. Without thinking, I grabbed his arm and dug my nails into it. He hissed in pain. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Erica shoving through the crowd, her eyes blasing in anger. Zoe must have seen Kurt or recognized the back of his head. When he saw Erica, Kurt's eyes went huge in fear and tried to wrench his arm out of my grasp. I held on tight and he was at the mercy of Erica.

Not wanting to cause a scene in the event, she relentlessly grabbed Kurt by the scruff of his neck and literally dragged him across the floor. Supporters and guests were confused to say the least, but made no motion to stop her. And anyone who was thinking about it quickly decided against it after Erica shot them a warning glare.

Hailey was very confused as she stood up. We walked behind Erica and Kurt, while Chip and Jawa were looking equally confused as they followed us.

"What's going on?" Hailey whispered to me.

"That's Kurt Andrews, Zoe's husband. He cheated on her multiple times. They're not officially divorced yet as they haven't gone to court yet, but he was rude and abusive." I told her. Hailey's expression turned furious. Jawa and Chip's matched Hailey's.

Erica dragged him outside and around the corner of the house, into this little area where Joshua stores his garbage. Zoe was sitting on the front steps of the house, but when we approached, she joined us as we followed Erica.

When we got out of the eye and ear sight of everyone else, Erica harshly threw Kurt against the garbage cans. One fell over and landed on top of him. Mike laughed at him. This fueled his anger and attempted to throw the can back at Erica. She caught it and threw it farther into the alleyway.

Zoe was not taking this sudden appearance very well. I don't blame her. The last time she spoke to him was when he was threatening her children. She was clearly trying to hide back tears.

"What the hell are you doing here, Zoe?!" Kurt snarled, "Is this your high school reunion or whatever? Going to a campaign event?"

She didn't rely. Now tears were starting to fall. Chip put a comforting arm around her.

"What?" Kurt taunted, "Too baby to answer?"

This was a very bad idea to make fun of Zoe. He was outnumbered seven to one. And Erica was having none of it. She just socked him in the face. Hard. A bruise was already forming on top of the one that was just healing that Erica put on his face from the last confrontation with him.

"What the hell are you doing here Kurt?" Erica asked him harshly.

"What? I can't support my politician?" Kurt snapped back.

It was very suspicious he was here. Why would a guy from Illinois support some random politician from Nebraska? And one that happens to have history with Zoe? The only thing that came to my mind was that Joshua set this up. I wouldn't be surprised. He was malicious. Maybe he invited him here to throw us off? It only fueled my suspicion that Joshua was up to something.

"Tell me why you're here." Erica repeated in a deadly calm tone.

"Zoe, you have no power over me," Kurt smirked cockily, completely ignoring Erica, "In fact, you should be on your knees BEGGING me to stay with you."

"Why would she do that?" I snarled at him.

"Why?" Kurt laughed, "She and the kids are homeless. She lost the house in court. Even your fancy-ass lawyers couldn't save you this time!"

I wheeled on Erica, "Is this true?"

She had a bit of a guilty look on her face, "I wasn't going to tell you Zoe until after this whole thing is over because it doesn't matter. I'll buy you a house wherever you want. But all of the house documents have Kurt's name in them. Despite what happened, there's absolutely nothing me or my lawyers could have done. Legally, you're technically just a houseguest in his house. You have no legal ownership over the house."

After all the shocks of today, Zoe barely had any reaction to it. She just kept silently crying. I felt so bad for her.

"But you," Erica growled, kicking Kurt hard in the ribs, "Tell me why you're here. The real reason."

"Fine," he huffed, "If you must know, Joshua Duncan flew me out here. Because he's sponsoring Jackson's class, he flew all the parents out ahead of time."

Zoe pushed forward, "What was that about Jackson?!" She looked angry and concerned.

"You didn't know?" This time Kurt looked genuinely confused, "I thought your mom was going to tell you. Congressman Duncan is flying Jackson's class out here to Washington DC to have a tour of some congress meeting or something. Since we haven't gone to court yet and thus the kids are still my children as well, I can make executive decisions. Plus, your mom thought it was a great opportunity. She was actually the one to make the decision, not even me. Their class is taking an impromptu field trip to DC for this government thing. It was all paid for by Joshua Duncan. Some part of a campaign publicity thing. I just got the email for the free flights. Parents get to come a day early for free. Is that why you're here?"

I looked at my friends, deeply concerned. What and why was Joshua sponsoring Zoe's kid? There was no way that was a coincidence. He was using Jackson for liability or something. Now it was clear he was planning something. I felt my skin boil. I don't care if he tries to kill me or even if he kills me. He can't hurt Jackson. That kid is an innocent tiny child. Zoe was even worse off.

Her whole body started shaking. It was worrying. Panic was written all over her face. She didn't try to hide it. As a mother, their main job is to protect their children over all else. Zoe felt like she was failing.

"Cancel it." She said with a wild look in her eyes, "Right now."

Even Kurt seemed surprised and concerned at her reaction. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. I think she was having a panic attack. Chip wrapped his arms around her to attempt to stop her from shaking. Hailey comfortingly rubbed her arm and the rest of us were staring daggers at Kurt.

"What's going on?" Kurt seemed genuinely worried for Zoe. His cocky vibe dropped.

"You AS*HOLE!" Zoe screamed, trying to charge at Kurt. Chip held her back. Why? Let her go after him! He deserves it!

"I can't call it off!" Kurt said, "Jackson's flight left like a half an hour ago! He's in the air right now! What the hell is going on? Your mom approved it! He's going to be fine! Joshua arranged for him and his class to stay in some fancy..." He was violently cut off.

In Zoe's blind rage, her adrenaline spiked. She wrestled her way out of Chip's grasp and charged full force at Kurt. Erica made no motion to stop her. He deserved it, and Zoe's been waiting a long time to do it.

Zoe dropped on top of Kurt while he was still on the ground and talking. She punched him right in the mouth and hard. His mouth instantly started gushing blood. The force of her punch made his head fall back on the concrete and it knocked him out cold.

Zoe was a sobbing mess. Jawa and Mike pulled her off of him. Zoe was freaking out, super concerned for her son. Joshua doesn't have enough of a moral compass that prevents him from hurting children.

Erica quickly checked Kurt's pulse to see if he was dead. He wasn't, although after this he would probably be seriously hospitalized. She unceremoniously threw him in Joshua's trash can. Zoe's anger was not out yet. She was attempting to wrench her arms out of Chip and Mike's grasp.

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" Zoe was shouting, "I WILL KILL JOSHUA!" She was slightly hysterical at the moment.To be honest, I wanted her to go in there and kill Joshua. But I'm sure it wouldn't work and it would make things worse if she just stormed in there. The guards were surely armed and Zoe would do no help to them if she were dead.

"Calm down," Erica put her hand on Zoe's shoulders. She was thrashing around like a wild animal at this point. It was scary to see Zoe in this state. Erica calmed her down a little bit, but she was still hyperventilating. Zoe had no idea if something bad was going to happen to Jackson's plane and there really wasn't anything for her to do to protect him at the moment.

"Go inside to the bar and grab a bunch of bottles of heavy alcohol. I think we're going to need it tonight," Erica whispered to me as she attempted to calm Zoe down. Erica let out a heavy sigh, "Meet us in the car."

I nodded and walked back into the event. People heard shouting, but didn't know what it was about and didn't care enough to investigate. The event was almost over, so the bartender let me have a lot of full bottles. I grabbed them and headed outside.

As I walked on Joshua's welcome mat, I stepped on something hard and painful. Curious, I put the bottles down and investigated what I stepped on. It was an old, bronze and silver color looking brass band. It looked like a ring, but it was carved very roughly, like it wasn't professionally done. It was very old and had a simple design wrapping around it.

Something tugged at the back of my memory. Hailey kept saying her father owned some sort of brass band with a simple design on it. She said he had it when he died and that no one took it off of him. I examined it again. It totally looks like it could have been carved from the barrel of an old musket or gun, like Mark's was. I nearly dropped it in surprise. This was Mark Dazy's ring, the one Hailey was supposed to inherit. It definitely wasn't there when I walked inside to get the booze or I would have felt it. Why was his ring here, miles away from Nebraska and supposedly on a dead man? A missing dead man? I slipped it in my pocket and felt a cold shiver run down my spine.


	27. Chapter27

My mind was racing as I carried bottles of booze back to the car. I had no idea why Mark Dazy's ring was on Joshua's doormat. However, this probably wasn't the best time to alert everyone of it, as Zoe was still visibly upset. Mike was at the wheel and pulled out of Joshua's driveway onto the freeway. All of us, except Mike, were taking swigs of the alcohol. We needed it.

Immediately when we got on the freeway, we hit traffic. Traffic is definitely not uncommon for DC, but this amount of traffic was unusual. I've lived in DC for the last three years and I hadn't seen this many people for a long time. Even Chip, who should be used to Los Angeles traffic, seemed surprised.

"Is something going on in DC?" Chip wondered aloud.

I looked out the window and saw cars for miles, "Not that I know of. The last time there was all this traffic and secret service was the presidential inauguration."

So we sat. For almost an hour without moving. Luckily, the alcohol got us through it. Me, Hailey and surprisingly Chip were comforting Zoe as she calmed down. She wasn't hyperventilating anymore which was nice but she was still shaken. Mike finally pulled off the freeway and to our motel.

I felt the metaphorical weight of the ring weighing me down. I was going to mention something to the rest of them about it, but I could never find the proper time. They were all understandably focused on Zoe at the moment, so bringing up this bombshell wasn't going to help anyone.

We all entered one room. Today was exhausting mentaly and we were all so tired. I just wanted to collapse on a bed and sleep. It seemed like everyone else wanted to too, except of course Erica had other plans.

She slapped a small stack of papers on the tiny desk in the room. Curiously, we all peered over her shoulder at them.

"I stole these off Joshua's desk when he brought us into the office. I wasn't going to let that opportunity get away from us and waste the trip. I bumped into the desk and grabbed whatever I could, and hid it in my shirt. Let's see if there is something useful in this stack of papers. Something that could be used as evidence." Erica said as she shifted through the papers.

We started to look through them, but they mostly seemed like budget stuff for the campaign fundraiser event. Costs, projections, sponsor pledges and other random stuff. Nothing important. I started to feel defeated until something piqued Jawa's interest.

It was a pink sticky note stuck between two papers. In Joshua's awful handwriting it seemed to say: 'Joshua Duncan' and under that, '200 K St NE Washington DC.' Immeditalily, I recognized the words under the name to be an address. It had the same format of my previous apartment so I am assuming this is an apartment as well.

"What does this mean?" Mike asked, referring to the Joshua Duncan part of the sticky note. We know that Joshua Hallal stole the identity of Joshua Duncan, which means...

"That must be where the real Joshua Duncan is!" I exclaimed. All of their heads turned to me.

"Think about it!" I continued, "Joshua Hallal stole the identity of Joshua Duncan a long time ago, probably like five or six years ago. If Joshua Hallal killed the real Joshua Duncan, that would raise suspicion and scrutiny about Joshua Hallal if he had his identity. But if Joshua Duncan was alive and agreed to Joshua's identity swap, then Joshua Hallal wouldn't have to worry. But the real Joshua Duncan is out in the world somewhere and I suspect he's at that address."

They thought about that for a moment. "It makes sense," Jawa said slowly, "I'm sure if we go to that address and the real Joshua Duncan is there, we can get some answers."

I nodded. Right as Mike replied to say something, my phone rang. I put a finger up to let them know I was going to take it and answered the call. I walked in the bathroom to have some privacy.

I didn't recognize the number, but answered anyway, "Hello?"

"Ben!" Audrey's voice came cheerfully through the phone, "How are you doing?"

"Uh..." I stuttered, "Good. Pretty good. Why are you calling me?"

"Well I have the results of the lab test you asked me for," Audrey said.

"The one that got us arrested by the CIA?" I asked playfully.

"Yep," Audrey said with a laugh, "That one. I'm sorry about that by the way. I didn't know what was going on until I was on the plane going to Nebraska, so I had to hastily put together a plan for you all to escape. Jumping out of the plane was all I could come up with."

"Wait so you rigged the engine to explode?" I asked. I suspected as much but it would be good to hear it confirmed.

"Yes. I've gotta admit; that wasn't my smartest plan I've ever had. While I was doing some 'pre-flight checks' I rigged some oil to spill in the engines when I set them off. When we were over that field I set the engines on fire so that we could do an emergency drop. That's why I was trying to shut you up. It's true that planes could glide all the way to a safe landing without any engines but the bozos agents we were with had no idea about that, including the pilot. And it seems that you all got out safely and met up with Jawa and Chip, so that's good."

I thought Audrey had planned all of that. I was right.

"Okay, so we never got to finish that conversation about the residue I found on the rim of Mark's cup. Like I said before, it was Xenya, a long-term drug to help with allergies. The substance isn't anything suspicious, it's not like a military poison or anything. In fact, they advertise it on TV. It's very easy to get and many people take it. You're not supposed to take it if you're over sixty, but it's most definitely not lethal if someone older, like Mark, takes it. The only reason that older people aren't supposed to take it is because it makes them super drowsy for a few weeks. But it can't kill you, even with an overdose of it, even though it is a strong medication. And with the amount on the cup, it's not even a full dose. So it wasn't an overdose. But like we talked about before, he could have died from drowsiness but that would take weeks. He was dead the next morning."

"How and more importantly, who?" I asked curiously, "And do you suspect foul play?"

Audrey paused a second before her answer, "I'm not saying anything right now about that. But I analyzed the DNA. Mark's, obviously, was on the cup. And Diana Dazy had tiny traces of DNA on it, but not suspicious as she made the food. Here's the surprise to me: Hailey's DNA was on it."

"Huh?" I asked, confused why that was surprising, "Hailey took and hid the glasses for us to investigate on. Of course her DNA was on it."

"Yeah, but it was predominantly only on the rim of Mark Dazy's cup. Sure, there was DNA on the slides and whatever from her holding it, but that was only a little. There was a LOT on the rim of his cup."

It took me a second to process all of this, "Wait..." I said slowly, "That was where the allergy drug was right? Are you saying-?"

"Yes," Audrey said, cutting me off, "I think Hailey Dazy put the allergy drug on the rim of his cup. He has never taken the drug before until the night before he died. Why she put it on the rim of her father's cup, I have no idea. But it's not normal."

I couldn't even think. I hung up the phone wordlessly, anxious to hear what Hailey had to say. I didn't want it to, but it kept crossing my mind: Did Hailey Dazy kill her father?

I banged the bathroom doors open when I exited. The rest of them stopped mid-conversation and stared at me, wondering why I had made such a ruckus coming out of the bathroom.

I paid the rest of them no attention and locked my eyes on Hailey, "Hailey. Explain. Now."

Realization dawned on her and I saw fear in her eyes. The rest of them saw it too. I could tell she was contemplating hard on what she was going to say next. She looked like a deer in headlights.

"I don't...what? I don't know what you are talking about." Hailey said that so uncertainly that anyone could tell she was lying.

"Don't lie to me again," I sneered, getting uptight, "There's proof. Explain right now."

The rest of my friends looked super confused, even Erica.

"What's going on?" Zoe asked carefully.

Hailey suddenly burst into tears, "Fine! Okay? Fine! I murdered my father."

I didn't want to hear it, I wanted it to be false. But here was her confession.

"WHAT?!" Mike yelled. Everyone looked shocked and even Erica seemed to be thrown for a loop.

"Here, let me explain," Hailey sobbed, "But I swear, I didn't mean to kill him. It was an accident."

"How do you accidentally kill someone? And if it was an accident, why didn't you say anything? Did Joshua put you up to this?" Erica demanded.

"Let me explain," Hailey cried, tears streaming down her face, "Let me start about two months before Dad passed away. I came home from New York and dad seemed so stressed out. There were dozens of budget meetings, controversies and issues in the government. It was not only taking a mental toll on Dad, but a physical one too. He wasn't smiling and happy anymore and worked himself ragged on about no sleep. He's not young anymore. He was already seventy eight. Joshua noticed this too. He tried to lift the burden off of my dad but Dad never let him. Everyone in the family was concerned. We begged him to retire and let Joshua take over, as he was capable and knew what he was doing. Dad refused but we didn't want him to go through another 2 year term. So about a month before the house election, Joshua approached me with an idea. Give my father, without his knowledge, this strong allergy medication. My cousin William is allergic to hay and since he lives on a farm, needs strong allergy medication to combat it. He takes Xenya, which is super strong but super effective. The only thing about Xenya is it makes him super drowsy. He only needs to take it once a month, but whenever he does, he sleeps about three days straight. You're only supposed to use it if you're under sixty years old. But Joshua did some research and apparently the reason for that is because if you're over sixty and take it, you just become super drowsy for three weeks. It doesn't negatively affect their health, or so we thought, if a senior takes it, it just makes them tired for a long time. So Joshua said that if we secretly give it to Dad, he won't be able to run for office again. Doctors will tell him no and tell him to take it easy. That way he'll not be able to run and he can take it easy. And after the election is over, he'll make a full recovery. And Joshua would be the new house of representatives member and uphold the same values Dad had. Part of the reason Dad didn't want to retire is the fear that Susan, his competitor and a crazy lady, would win. At least Joshua knew what he was doing and studied under my father. I thought Xenya would just make Dad a little bit sick for a few weeks, but definitely not lethally sick. Joshua told me Dad would be in a peaceful state and I believed him. The research added up. So that night at dinner, I stole William's meds and carefully put them on the rim of Dad's cup. Whenever he drank, the medicine would go right in him. I thought it was fool-proof."

"Then why is he dead?" I asked.

"We didn't factor in one part. The other medications Dad was on. He was on a heart medication that was very strong. When Xenya mixed with his heart meds, that's what caused his death. The chemicals didn't mix well with each other and caused a lethal heart attack. His heart medicine did the opposite they were supposed to. They caused a heart attack instead of preventing one. Of course, Joshua and I figured all of this out the next day. We were both heartbroken. I didn't know it would turn out like this. I literally killed my own dad."

"As messed up as it is, it was technically an accident," Jawa told her, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"When the cops came the next day, it looked like a heart attack. That's what they labeled it as and that's what my whole family thought. Although it was uncommon for the Dazy family, it wasn't unheard of. I wanted to speak up. But Joshua convinced me not to. Dad was dead either way. It wouldn't help anyone if I was in jail. It would just cause family drama and heartbreak. So I kept my mouth shut, with the guilt eating away at me."

"At the farm, you said that Diana asked you to get rid of the stuff at dinner, including the cup with the evidence. You could have gotten away with it if you didn't save the stuff. Why did you hide it and go against what your sister said?" Erica asked her.

"My sister blamed me for Dad's death. She said the stress of me working in New York caused the heart attack. I was worried that if push came to shove and they investigated a homicide, Diana would blame me, using proof that I got rid of the evidence. I was fairly confident she would try to maybe even frame me, without knowing I actually did it, and give the cops proof that I got rid of the evidence.So I hid all of the stuff from that night that Diana asked me to get rid of. It would look super suspicious if I got rid of it and at this point, I was doing anything I could to make sure no one figured out about me. That's also why I made it a point when I showed you guys the evidence, to run my hands over everything. When you guys came and asked about his death, I knew you would want evidence. I wanted to make it look like I had nothing to hide and show you the stuff, further proving my innocence. Why would the guilty party show investigators the evidence? I also knew you guys were going to test it, so that's why I made sure to touch and run my hands over everything while you were looking. That way if you found my DNA on it, you saw that I touched it. And this entire time, I was so stressed you were going to find out. I wanted to admit it, but as things got further and further along, I never found the right time. I feel so bad and you have every right to arrest me. I'm sorry. I really am."

It took a second to process the whole confession. I've gotta admit, that was pretty genius. She thought all of it through for the most part. I just... I couldn't believe it. Wow. I don't think all of it even sunk in yet.

"Wait... so does that mean... case closed? Joshua isn't up to anything suspicious and we figured out what happened to Mark Dazy?" I asked slowly. As much as I was glad we solved it, I didn't want this to be over. Not yet anyway. I had a feeling there was more to it.

"It is... isn't it?" MIke asked uncertainty.

Erica shook her head, "We may have solved what happened to Mark. But it seems like Joshua convinced Hailey to do that to her father. Maybe he knew about the effect Xenya would have on his heart medication. After all of this, I think that Joshua is hiding something else. Something bigger. There are still so many unanswered questions."

"But what do we do? We don't have a clear idea of what we're investigating anymore." Zoe pointed out.

"Yes we do," Erica responded. She held up the sticky note with the address of the real Joshua Duncan, "This."


	28. Chapter28

**Okay, I'm SO SORRY!!! I forgot to upload the rest of the book, so here it is!! The story ends at chapter 33! I'm so sorry! Please enjoy! **

"Then let's go," Mike said calmly after Erica held up the sticky note with the address of who we assumed to be the real Joshua Duncan.

"Yeah let's go," I aggressively, standing up. I was understandably angry at Hailey. Not even really that she killed her father (although it was messed up, she seemed to have believed Joshua's lies that she was helping Mark) but the fact that she lied to us. All of us. She made us waste so much time and energy while we thought we were helping her. If she had just explained in the beginning, we could move on and focus our attention elsewhere.

But I guess our adventure to get to this place was constructive. We found even more evidence Joshua is planning something and we even have a HUGE lead into the Joshua Duncan identity issue. But still, Hailey should have admitted it long ago, to save us all some time.

"Um, I don't think Hailey should go," Jawa said, "I don't trust her after what she just said and I'm still very suspicious of her. Chip and I can stay here with her. You four go."

Hailey looked disappointed at having to stay back, but didn't say anything. I think she was as intrigued by all of this as we were. After all, it involved her past boyfriend and father. I guess we had no right to tell her she can't go after we started intruding on her life, but she didn't verbally protest.

Erica nodded. She, Mike and Zoe started discussing a plan. I tried to listen, but I was distracted.

Hailey lightly touched my arm, "Hey, can we talk in private?" She asked me.

I grumbled a little, but nodded.

She led me to the entrance of the room, out of the craziness in the main area. She looked absolutely defeated, "I know and can tell you're mad at me. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. But when Erica lied and told me you guys were in the FBI, I freaked out. I didn't want to go to jail, even for manslaughter, so I kept it a secret. I know I wasted everyone's time and I'm sorry."

I understood where she came from, but I was still mad. I was glad that she said something and I'm VERY glad she wasn't a sociopath and didn't purposely kill her father. However, I wasn't so quick to forgive.

"Hailey, you wasted so much of our time. Now who knows when and what Joshua's plan is. We could have been devising a plan DAYS ago. And the worst part is that we thought we were helping you and your family, but you're just lying to everyone around you. You've wasted all of our time and it's counterproductive."

I felt a little bad at how much my words affected her, but I didn't show it.

"Ben, I'm really sorry. I don't know what to do or say that will make you forgive me. I really care about you Ben and that was the one thing I wasn't lying about." Hailey didn't say this in a pleading or annoying way. It felt genuine.

"I'm not that quick to forgive," I said plainly and coldly.

My harsh tone upset Hailey a bit, "I understand that, but honestly, who asked you? Who asked you to come and meddle in my family's business? I let you guys into our HOUSE to investigate some guy you had beef with TEN years ago? Not only that, all of this put my life in danger."

I was appalled and taken aback, "Excuse me? We were trying to help you and your family figure out what happened to your dad!"

"Were you?" Hailey shot back, "Did you even care about Dad in the first place? Or did you only come to the farm and investigate to settle a score with an old enemy? I don't think you were even concerned about my father unless it mattered to the case with Joshua."

I was going to shoot back with a comeback, but I paused. Dammit, she was right. I honestly didn't even care about the death of the congressman UNTIL Joshua came into the picture. Throughout this journey, I kept telling myself that I was helping my country and their family. But if I am honest with myself, the whole reason I am doing this was to relive my glory days after real life slapped me in the face. But there was no way I was going to tell Hailey that.

So I deflected, "You lied to me! You told me no more secrets, but you hide the biggest one from me?"

"Well you lied to me too! Ben, I didn't really show it, but I was deeply hurt by the fact that all of you lied about being journalists then the FBI and then the CIA. How do I even know you're telling the truth now? You manipulated me and the family so that you could meddle in my personal business! We don't even have solid evidence that Joshua is planning anything until you guys meet with Joshua Duncan. You involve yourself into things that aren't your jurisdiction. In fact, you're not even CIA anymore. But I still let you into my personal affairs and even forgave you when you lied to me. If you ask me, investigating and manipulating me while lying about it is as bad as me lying to you. Ben, you and your friends emotionally manipulated me and as you now know, it doesn't feel good."

After that rant, Hailey stormed off. I didn't follow her. It was a lot to take in. I admit, most of it was true. I was just furious that I thought we had something and she lied to me. But I guess that's how she felt when I told her that we were CIA.

"Ben, we're going," Zoe said and I followed her out the door. Erica and Mike were right behind me.

I sat in the front seat with Mike. Being that it was Washington DC in January, the roads were icy. Luckily it wasn't super cold or snowing like it had in the past. Since Mike was from Massachusetts, he knew how to drive on icy roads considerably better than someone from California or Illinois so he was driving. I was navigating since I knew DC the best these days.

I had a general idea where the apartment was, so I directed Mike that way. The drive was a little bit long as it was a fair distance outside of downtown DC. And the drive was so awkwardly quiet. We should have been devising a plan or something, but I was still upset after my conversation with Hailey and that energy was feeding into the car.

Finally, Zoe just said, "Okay, I'm sorry Ben, but I'm too curious. What were you and Hailey talking about?"

I relayed the conversation we had to the rest of the dar. It was silent as I was describing it.

"Well she's not wrong," Erica said nonchalantly. That was unexpected.

"What?" I asked, turning in my seat to see her. Erica was just calmly looking out the window.

She met my eyes, "Hailey. She's not wrong. You lied to her and we have no business messing with her family drama. And she's also right that we have no jurisdiction doing any of this."

I was annoyed by how calm Erica was about that, "Can you support me on this please? Hailey lied to all of us and wasted our time! And let's not forget she murdered her own dad! How are you not more mad?"

Erica shrugged, "Yeah, maybe she wasted our time a little bit, but we also got some great leads we never would have gotten if she hadn't lied to us. And I've stopped judging people on their past choices after Audrey. And I don't find Hailey intolerable like I find most people."

"What does this mean for your relationship?" Zoe asked.

I exhaled, "I don't know. I'm not ready to go back to the place we were at before all this happened. I still care about Hailey as a person, but romantically, I'm not sure anymore."

Zoe looked a little disappointed, "Not to meddle and make decisions for you, but think about this: when you dropped the bombshell on Hailey that you were CIA and when you admitted you were initially using her for Erica's attention, she forgave you rather quickly. She forgave you because she believed in your relationship and the connection she had with you. Hailey didn't want to ruin it. I would think about giving her the same respect."

"I'm not going to forgive her just because she forgave me," I said, sounding a bit like a whiny toddler.

"I'm not saying you should," Zoe said carefully.

Before I could respond, Mike turned off the freeway. I had to give him directions from there. We finally arrived at this run down apartment building. The bricks were fading and vines were wrapping around the unstable structure. It wasn't sketchy but it was super rundown.

We got out of the car and made sure to lock the doors. According to the sticky note, the unit we were looking for was number 200, on the second floor. We approached the rusty gate and pushed it. Luckily, it swung open. There was no lobby in the apartment complex. The doors just opened without a key and there was a rickety staircase leading upwards. We cautiously ascended the stairs. We could hear people yelling in some apartment on the first floor.

The specific apartment we were looking for was on the right hand side all the way down the hall. When we finally reached the door, Erica immediately put her head to the doorframe to see if she could hear anything inside. She shook her head, indicating no. There was a possibility that no one was home.

It occurred to me that we had no plan of action when we opened that door. Behind it could be Joshua Hallal with an entire army. It could be a trap. But at this point, it was too late to do anything.

Erica picked the lock with some paperclip she found in our hotel room. We stood behind her as she swung the door open. There was one man sitting at a foldable table with his back turned away from us. I didn't recognize him until he turned around to look at us.

Holy crap. It was Scott Pierceton, Erica's assistant.

I stood there in shock. Even Erica looked absolutely shocked. Mike and Zoe just looked confused. Scott, when he realized who it was, freaked out the most. He stood up abruptly, knocking over his flimsy desk with a laptop on it. Scott frantically looked around for an exit. His only option was to jump out of the building (as we were blocking the door) and he didn't seem too keen on that.

Erica and I were honestly paralized in shock. What the hell was Scott Pierceton, Erica's celebrity assistant, who was supposed to be in LA, doing in Joshua Duncan's apartment?

"Wha-what... ahem. What are you doing here?" Scott coughed and started sweating despite the cold temperature in the room.

"I could ask you the same thing," Erica said coldly. It didn't seem like she knew why he was here though.

"I thought... why are you... you're supposed to be in Nebr... aren't you supposed to be at some high school reunion?" Scott was shaking in nervousness.

"What are you doing here Scott?" Erica avoided his question.

Something occurred to me. I saw a birthmark peeking over his collar at the base of his neck that I hadn't noticed in the past. However, I saw that birthmark before. Specifically, on a certain facebook page. As Scott was distracted talking to Erica, I slipped away and stood behind him.

"Joshua," I said simply, as Scott's back was turned to me.

He whirled around instandly and looked at me, expecting me to continue. But then he instantly realized his mistake.

As he turned back around to look at Erica, she kicked his leg out from under him, causing him to crash on the ground. He tried to stand back up, but Erica drove her heel right into a nerve in his ankle, causing it to lock up and paralyze that area of the body. Scott was laying there defenseless. Mike and Zoe still had no idea who Scott was.

"Is that Joshua Duncan?" Mike asked, looking thoroughly confused, "Do you guys know him?"

"Yes," I replied, "That is Joshua Duncan, the real Joshua Duncan. But we know him as Scott Pierston, who happens to be Erica's assistant."

Zoe and Mike's jaws dropped to the floor.

"Wait, was Joshua working for Joshua the entire time he was working for Erica?" Zoe asked. It took a second to register. I think it would just be easier to refer to the real Joshua Duncan as Scott still and Joshua Hallal as Joshua.

"That's what we're going to find out," Erica said as she dragged Scott onto this old, smelly couch. This ancient TV with antennas was on displaying the news. Erica seemed to have no reaction to her assistant and probably her friend betrayed her. She still has a habit of throwing up a wall to block her emotions. Erica had a tough and terrifying facade.

Scott looked absolutely petrified. If he was working for Josua, he must have not been working for him for a super long time as he hasn't yet developed the really annoying habit of being overly cocky.

"So Scott, or should I say Joshua, this could be done the really hard way, or the easy way." Erica's words were threatening, but she said it very calmly. She slowly sat down on the coffee table across the couch and Scott.

"The easy way!" Scott said very meekly. He was not protesting or restraining at all. I also had a little bit of a feeling that he was relieved that someone found him.

"Okay, then explain yourself. And don't lie, because I can tell when you're lying." Erica said.

Mike, Zoe and I pulled up folding chairs from the corner and sat next to Erica. The apartment seemed like it was thrown together last minute. All of his furniture seemed to come off of sketchy ebay or a flea market. It was bare, too. There was a folding desk with a folding chair. There was a laptop on the floor where Scott knocked over the table. He had folding chairs leaning against the wall as well. Since it was a studio apartment, we could see the mattress that I guess he sleeps on with an old fuzzy blanket on top. In the kitchen there was an open box of cereal on the counter and a singular jug of milk. It seemed like there was nothing else there. He was living like a squatter and there was a chance he was one.

"I can't. I'm not allowed to." Scott said timidly.

"Answer me Scott. I'm not in the mood for this. I trusted you with everything in my life and I am shocked you are here. My patience is razor thin right now," Erica growled, which scared Scott enough to start talking.

"Okay, okay. Yes, Ben, my name is Joshua Duncan and I am the real Joshua Duncan. My middle name is Scott and Joshua Hallal gave me the last name Pierston," Scott started. Oh boy. We were going to get the real confession right now and it wasn't going to be good. Erica does not like being played for a fool. I think this will hurt Erica a bit too. Erica is a private person and once she lets someone into her life, she trusts them. From what I saw when I was at her house, she cares about Scott and even saw him as a friend. This wasn't going to help Erica at all with her trust issues.

"I'll back up. This started years ago, maybe three years ago. This random man with the same name DM'ed me on Facebook. We were chatting and he was super friendly and convinced me to meet him in real life. I lived in Washington DC at the time since I had just graduated Brown and moved here for the opportunities. Anyway, I met Joshua. Immediately when I saw him, I got bad vibes. He took me to some sketchy restaurant and we were the only ones there. He told me he'd pay me 500,000 to give him my name. I was taken aback of course. Why would I give him my name? He offered for passports and ID to be made in the new name. All he said he wanted was for me to keep it a secret. I thought that was sketchy as hell, as one does, and tried to leave. He pulled a gun on me and recited my parents address to me and told me if I didn't help him, he would kill them. Then I realized that this was serious and that he was one freaky dude. He gave me the money, but I was forced to give up everything. I had to call my parents and tell them to give me the password to their facebook account so Joshua could change what he needed to. It was scary. Whenever I protested, he reminded me that he could kill my parents at a moment's notice. And Erica, at this point, I don't even care if you're with Joshua as a double agent or something and plan to kill me. I give up. I don't even care at this point. I'm sick of lying and being under Joshua's thumb the entire time. I want this off my chest."

Erica shook her head, "I'm not with Joshua. God no. But I'm surprised and deeply hurt that you are. Continue before I kill you myself."

"Okay, so that all happened three years ago. I was finally getting used to being Scott Pierston. But as Ben figured out, I still sometimes respond to Joshua if I'm not thinking correctly. Okay, so I went back to living my life with a new identity. It was hard getting used to, but I was managing. Jobs weren't really working out at the time, but I wasn't discouraged. I thought Joshua was done with me and I could live my life. But about a year and a half later, Joshua told me that he was going to try to run for the position of a congressman in Nebraska. I asked him how he was going to win in Nebraska since Mark Dazy, the House of Representatives member at the time, had that position for decades. He vaguely told me he has an idea and asked me if I would work for him. The last thing I wanted was to work for that creep but I really needed money at that point. No one was hiring at the time and I was desperate. So I started working for him as an assistant. I was good at it too. But I started noticing weird things in his bank statements and stuff. He had HUGE sums of money in his account when he claimed he was essentially broke from his student debt. This was only like a few months ago, maybe a year ago. I confronted Joshua about it and he turned really angry. He told me not to mention it to anyone and that he'd kill me and anyone I cared about if I told anyone else. I was obviously really freaked out and didn't say anything. Only a few weeks later he approached me with a job opportunity: work for the famous influencer Erica Handler."

This confused Erica, "That wasn't his position to give. My team and I fired and hired everything. There was no outside influence."

Scott nodded, "In a way. Joshua's men intimidated everyone qualified to be your assistant into withdrawing their application. I know you only saw the final five candidates as your team weeded everyone else out so you didn't know about all of the withdrawals. I was obviously the best candidate as all the other ones were morons."

"So Joshua had an eye on Erica for years now?" Zoe asked.

"I don't know. I mean, Erica's face has been on magazine covers for the last decade so it probably was hard not to. Anyway, right before I got the position, Joshua debriefed me on everything about himself, you guys and your history together. I knew about all of the spy stuff. I honestly wasn't surprised Joshua was an evil mastermind. He was freaky like that. The reason he wanted me to be her assistant was so I could watch to see if Erica got suspicious of Joshua during his campaign. The whole Nebraska congressman thing was a great opportunity for him and his evil ways so he didn't want anything to get in the way. I was supposed to be her assistant and spy on her and report back to him."

I could see Erica trying her best to contain her anger. This whole thing made her look like a victim and that's the last thing she wants. And she hates being played and manipulated by the enemy. I could tell she was beating herself up about not catching on and letting Joshua get away with it.

"So eventually I was hired. And from what I heard from Joshua, I thought you would be a cold, mean jerk. But surprisingly, once I got to know you, I realized he was wrong. Erica, I swear, I'm sorry I spied on you. I really liked being your assistant. You were nothing but friendly and I feel really bad. That was one of my favorite jobs I've had. I shouldn't have done it, but I was worried for my family. I'm sorry." I felt bad for Scott. He really looked conflicted. I could tell he was being honest and really did like working with Erica. And from when I met him before, I enjoyed his energy and company but that could be just acting. Erica seemed far from pity and looked at Scott with utter hatred. I would hate to be on the receiving end of that.

"So what did you tell him while you were spying on me?" Erica snarled.

"Nothing important!" Scott said quickly, "He only cared if you were suspicious of him but you didn't even know he was running! Or even that Joshua was back to doing anything. I was convinced while I was working for you that you forgot about him! I told him nothing, well, until Ben showed up."

"Wait," I said, remembering something that happened the first time I met him, "Is that why you called me Ben Ripley? Instead of Ben Randoph?"

"Well I did at first, but then I remembered you said Ripley before so I think I managed to save face." Scott replied sheepishly.

"Wait, hold on, why are you here in DC? Didn't you work from Erica's house?" Mike asked.

"Joshua made me come up here. And he wouldn't even give me a nice apartment! He made me stay in this crappy place! I guess so no one would see me at the campaign event. After Ben came and they were talking, I reported it back to Joshua because I knew he'd kill me if I didn't tell him and he figured out. So he told me to come to DC right after you guys flew to your 'reunion'. Joshua called me to his office and forced me to track you. We knew you went to Illinois, Massachutes, Nebraska and finally Washington DC."

"How?" Erica snapped.

He looked down, "Your credit card. I tracked your transactions."

"Hold on," I said, remembering flying to Nebraska, "When that plane crashed? The one we were supposed to be on? Was that you? Did you figure out we were on the flight to Nebraska?"

Scott looked even more guilty, "Yes that was Joshua. After finding out what flight you guys were supposed to be on to fly to Nebraska, Joshua had someone drain the fuel on that plane. We didn't plan for the fact that Mike would get really sick. That's why I called you after the plane you were supposed to be on went down. Joshua wanted to have proof that you guys were still in the airport."

"Joshua was listening on the call?" Mike asked, "And how do you know my name?"

"Joshua debriefed me on your whole spy school group before I was Erica's assistant. That's how I know your name. And yes Joshua was listening on that call. And I guess since we're being honest now, there was a guy in the airport when Zoe, Ben and Erica flew to Massachusetts. He wanted a picture of you guys? Remember that? His name was Chase? He was working for Joshua because he wanted picture proof that Zoe and Ben were with Erica. Joshua was more than pissed when he realized you guys secretly deleted the pictures and videos off Chase's phone."

I remembered that guy! He was standing next to that teenage girl. I wasn't suspicious of him at the time, I thought he was just a fan. I should know by now that everyone is suspicious.

"So I'm guessing you figured it out. That's why you're here. For the record, Joshua took me off the plan after I messed up with the Nebraska plane crash. He blamed me. So I'm not a part of his nefarious plan anymore. Thank god. Because I wasn't ready to be put in jail." Scott reassured us.

But we had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. We suspected Joshua was up to something but to be honest we had no idea what it was. We just heard and suspected bits and pieces of it. We honestly had no idea what the actual plan was and if there even was one. We had no solid evidence. But it seems like Scott does.

"What are you talking about?" Zoe asked, intrigued.

"Oh you don't know? Wait why are you here then?" Scott looked super confused.

"No we don't," I told him, but very intrigued about what he was going to say, "What is it?"

"Well this is where it gets interesting. And trust me, I'm telling the truth. I have proof."


	29. Chapter29

**Again, I'm super sorry! Here's the next chapter! Please enjoy!  
**

"Explain. Now." Erica demanded, already losing patience for Scott.

"Okay," he said, taking a deep breath, "How much do you know?"

"Assume we know nothing," Erica told him.

"Which we don't," Mike unhelpfully added. Erica shot him a look.

"Joshua called me about two weeks after he won the election. I was still working for you Erica. He told me he had a job for me in the next few weeks, maybe a few months. I told him I obviously wasn't interested, but again, I had no choice. Joshua called me a few days before Ben arrived at Erica's house and told me his evil plan. And it's going down very soon, tomorrow, actually. So you know the big meeting thingy going on in Washington DC right now?"

It was silent for a beat. Scott took that as a no.

"Really?" Scott asked, surprised, "Do you read the news? Ever? Or at least noticed the extra security and traffic in DC? It's only the biggest meeting, the most important meeting, in the nation."

I realized what month it was, January, and as a DC local, knew exactly what was going on, "The state of the union address." I said.

"Exactly," Scott nodded.

State of the Union addresses were always a pain in the ass for any Washington DC local. Each year, in the end of January or beginning of February, the president, along with the vice president, the cabinet, congress and basically everyone important to the US government come together for a GIANT meeting. The president updates the country on what's been going on and what plans they have for the future. It's a headache for Washington DC since everyone from all over the country comes to the meeting. No wonder the traffic was even more horrific than normal.

"Let me guess," Mike said, "He's gonna bomb the meeting."

Scott nodded.

This confused all of us, "Why would he do that?" Zoe asked, "He's done that before! In fact, that was his exact plan with the United Nations meeting. Unoriginal, too predictable."

Scott held up his hands for her to pause, "That was his point. He wanted it to be almost exactly the same."

"Why in the world would he want that?" Mike asked.

"Think about it," Scott started, "That thwarted plan RUINED his evil career. No one in the terrorist and evil communities respected him anymore. How many times would he be bested by that kid Ben Ripley? And at such an important meeting and such an important mission. If that worked out, Joshua would be famous and respected. But it failed, like all of his plans. It was embarrassing. Mr. E completely blamed Joshua and Joshua was the laughing stock of all of the nefarious leaders. Of people he used to call peers. It took the biggest hit on his ego as well. And so-"

"Wait," Zoe interrupted, "The state of the union address is for all of congress. If he bombed the meeting, wouldn't that mean he would blow up too? Joshua would be required to be at the meeting."

Scott waited for one of us to catch on. I realized something.

"Not if he was the designated survivor..." I said slowly.

Like clockwork, the TV was suddenly heard in the silence, "And just a reminder, new congressmen Joshua Duncan from Boulder, Nebraska is set to be this year's designated successor at the upcoming state of the union address." The news anchor validated my point.

"What's a designated successor or survivor?" Mike asked.

"When the United States has such an important meeting, with all of congress and the cabinet present, along with both the president and vice president, there needs to be someone else. Someone far away from the meeting in case something terrible, like the bombing, happens. That way the designated survivor can take over as president and restore order. They would carry on the presidential legacy. If there was no one and something bad did happen, there would be no leader of our country, which leads to chaos. But if someone evil was the survivor, and something did happen to all the important leaders, they would be instantly president. Namely, Joshua." I explained.

Scott nodded, impressed I figured it out, "And that's exactly what Joshua was thinking too. He was assigned and told ahead of time that he was the successor. He planned on it too. Because of the untimely death of Mark Dazy, Joshua was appointed very late in the year. Since he's only been in office for a few weeks, he has nothing new to add to the union meeting. Thus putting him as the perfect candidate for being a designated survivor. And for Joshua, that would be perfect. He is using the exact same plan for a reason. This meeting is arguably more important than the UN meeting because SO many powerful people were here. The entire US government would be there. He could successfully pull off his same plan, proving to the evil community it was a mistake to underestimate him and prove to them he could pull off the plan. It would come full circle for him. What destroyed his career will be used to restore his career in a bigger way. And as an extra cherry on top, he would then be president, slapping it all in their faces. Not only would his reputation be restored but he would then be worshiped. Power and validation. All Joshua wants."

I've gotta hand it to Joshua, that was a well thought out plan. Well, it had to have been. By the looks of it, he's been planning it for years. A decade even. He put the plan in motion almost a year ago by showing up at the Dazy's farm. And Joshua tried to tie up every loose end possible. He hired someone to look out for Erica, knowing I wouldn't do anything without her. But what he probably didn't plan for was us still showing up and Scott turning on him. Once again, we bested him. And we were going to stop him.

My thoughts were distracted by Erica shifting uncomfortably next to me, "You okay?" I whispered to her.

She nodded, although it didn't really look like it, "Yeah I'm fine. Just some tooth pain. It feels like something hard and rough got stuck under my tooth and it won't come off. It's really uncomfortable." I could see her tongue pushing against her cheek, trying to get whatever it was free.

"How was he planning to bomb the meeting?" Mike asked, "This isn't some commercial hotel like the UN meeting was held. This is the United States Capital. It probably has the most security of the entire country, especially now. Sneaking a bomb in would be near impossible."

Scott nodded, "That was supposed to be my job, until he didn't trust me after I messed up that plane crash. He was planning to have a group of small, elementary school kids touring the capital while the meeting was taking place. He set it up and everything. Joshua would have me and someone else leading the group of kids in the building and around the capital. I would be wearing one of those chaperone backpacks. While we were in the building, I would sneak away from the group and into the catacombs under the main level and drop my backpack, which held the bomb, down there. If anyone came to question me about it, I was supposed to tell them that some kid ran off and I was trying to find them. You won't believe what the secret service would believe if it was a group of little kids. Right after that, before the bombs deployed, we would all leave."

"What about security?" I asked, knowing all buildings in DC have airport security, "Surely they would see the bomb."

Scott shrugged, "From past experience, the security is tipped off every time a group of kids go through. The teachers tell them to 'bring nothing metal' and they bring their metal hot wheels car. Because it's a bunch of kids, little kids at that, it's chaotic with chaperones trying to control the crazy kids. Secret service and security hate school trips. It's messy, chaotic and no one listens to them. For the most part, they just wave by the group of kids, thinking no six year old was packing heat. It's a flaw in the system, but a reliable one."

"There's no way a school trip would be allowed on the day of the state of the union address." Erica stated.

"You'd be surprised," Scott said, "The state of the union address happens normally in the house chamber. That is only a wing of the giant capitol building. Lots goes on still in the building while the meeting is happening. All of them are authorized personnel of course. But each secret service member can't always know everything and will probably think school tours are allowed. It's not that hard to get in with kids unfortunately. And even then, who wants to deal with the hassle of turning away a huge group of chaotic six year olds. It's fairly reliable."

"Jackson," Zoe said with a faraway look in her eyes.

We looked at her in confusion.

"Remember what Kurt said? That Joshua paid for Jackson's class to fly to Washington DC for some, as Kurt put it, 'congress meeting or something'. This is what he must have been talking about! Joshua must have paid for Jackson's class to come and tour the state of the union address. It's his class! It's gotta be!" Zoe exclaimed with panic on her face.

"What?" Scott asked, looking confused, "Last I heard it was just some random class from DC."

"How would Joshua even know about Jackson? No one mentioned it and he flew Kurt out without him knowing Joshua. Has he been keeping tabs on ALL of us?" Mike asked, confused.

"He must have figured out about Jackson later, as he only flew Jackson's class out here yesterday. I'm guessing once Joshua realized Zoe and Mike were with us, he researched them extensively. And since your Instagram isn't private, so anyone could know about Jackson and Stella," I told Zoe.

Horror overcame her face, "Oh god. My Instagram. I handed my kids over on a silver platter for Joshua. I post everything on there."

"That's why I don't have Instagram or any social media," Erica supplied unhelpfully.

"But then why would Joshua do that? He probably knows that we know Jackson will be in Washington DC. That just guarantees the fact that we will show up at that meeting. It just guarantees that we will try to thwart his plan. Isn't that the last thing he wants? For us to be in the capital building and potentially thwart his plan? Why in the world would he use Jackson and risk us showing up? If we didn't come to Scott, we wouldn't know about the plan at all. It's like he wants us to show up. To potentially defeat him. It makes no sense." I said, thinking.

Everyone pondered that for a second.

"You're right, that makes no sense," Scott said, looking confused, "From what I heard, he wanted all of you as far away from DC as possible. He threw a fit when he heard you guys were here in DC."

"Whatever the case is, we have to think of a plan and something fast to infiltrate the United States Capitol building. The meeting starts tomorrow. No matter if Joshua wanted us at the meeting or not, we need to save Jackson. That's our top priority. And if we do that, hopefully we can find the bomb before the new chaperones with bombs can place them."

We all nodded in agreement. Wow, that was a lot to take in. Joshua with the bombs, this whole new plan. I trusted what Scott said. He had one of those faces that were easy to tell when he's lying. Plus, it seems like he had nothing to lose at this point. Joshua kicked him off the mission. Why would he still protect him?

We took Scott with us back to the hotel. He was grateful as his apartment was super sketchy and disgusting. Because it was late at night now and we needed to get good rest before the big day tomorrow, we had to quickly put together a plan.

Hailey, Jawa and Chip were shocked to hear the plan, but we could only tell them a brief version with no questions for time's sake.

The general consensus was that Mike, Zoe, Erica and I would go to the capital and try to thwart Joshua's plan. Chip and Jawa were going to man operations in the room while watching the news and local headlines. They were also going to watch Hailey and Scott. Chip and Jawa were going to drill Scott for more information, in case he forgot anything important.

Zoe and Mike were focusing on rescuing Jackson while, like old time, Erica and I were in charge of trying to find and stop the bomb. We didn't really know what to do about the bomb if we found it, but like last time, we were going to figure it out on the fly. Nothing much changes.

To get in, we were going to blend in with the people there. Many supporters were going to be out front of the capital, hoping to catch a glimpse of the president or a congressperson. Using our spy knowledge and using the chaos to our advantage, we were going to slip in undetected. In theory. We had no idea how it was going to play out.

After a brief discussion, we knew our roles for the next day. We had to get good rest, so we went to sleep quickly after.

XXX

The next morning we were up bright and early. The rooms were a bustle of activity while everyone was going over stuff and trying to get ready.

"Make sure you're not wearing anything metal!" Erica yelled over the chaos, "If we have to go through security checkpoints, the last thing we need is for the secret service to stop and frisk us."

But we were finally ready. All I had to do was brush my teeth and comb my hair. I was still wearing the same fancy clothes from Joshua's campaign event.

Just as Erica, Mike, Zoe and I were about to leave, Hailey lightly grabbed my arm.

"Be careful, okay?" she said softly, genuinely looking concerned. I forgot, this was her first look at a spy mission. Less glamorous than it seems in the movies.

"I will," I said with a grateful smile. With all the craziness and risk of blowing up, I didn't have it in me to stay cold at her. I was still upset with her, but I didn't want to show it if this was the last time I was going to see her alive.

"Come back safely," she said with a wave right before I got in the car. I gave her a big smile, and we were off.


	30. Chapter30

**Please enjoy!!**

It was chaotic. When we got even close to the capitol building, we were met with black SUV's and tons of traffic. Workers in orange vests tried uselessly to manage the mess but it was pointless. Reporters swarmed each SUV, hoping it was a member of congress they pester with questions.

We found a parking spot, thank god, a few blocks away from the capitol building. Because this was all happening so fast, we didn't have a plan to get into the building. I just hoped something would work in our favor.

Zoe, Mike, Erica and I approached the capitol building on foot. Once we got in its vicinity, it was madness.

All of the important figures in the United States government were showing up at one time. Basically every news station in the country was here, trying to bombard the congresspeople with questions about their opinions on certain issues and their thoughts of the state of our nation. News crews with heavy equipment and giant cameras were running around everywhere. It was super lucky for us. One thing that spies love is chaos. It makes us undetectable. However it also makes the enemy undetectable.

We knew we had to be very careful though. Not only was Erica and Mike somewhat known public figures, we knew that Joshua's men were probably looking for us. Joshua was obviously nowhere to be found as he was supposed to be far from DC as the designated successor. However, since we saw him only a few days ago, I knew he couldn't be too far.

Mike and Erica avoided all the flashing cameras best they could. Because we just looked like secretaries, we could weave in and out of the crowds with ease. The media didn't care about us, they just cared about government workers.

"How are we going to get in?" Zoe whispered as we tried to shove our way to the entrance of the capitol building.

"Leave it to me," Erica whispered back.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Erica. When the reporters or news crew weren't looking, she sneakily yanked their card, which gave them access to the building, off. Because they were cheap, the loose clasp on the back of the lanyard popped off easily. The reporter never even noticed their ID card was gone.

Erica handed us one each and instructed us to put them around our necks, but facing backwards so only the barcode, not their picture or name, was facing forward.

Suddenly, the chaos seemed to increase. Shouting and stampeding started occurring all around us.

"He's here!" I heard someone shout from the front.

"Oh my god, CHAD YOU BETTER BE FILMING THIS!!" Someone else screamed.

"THEY'RE HERE!" Someone else shreaked next to me. It occurred to me that there weren't only news and media groups here but fans of these politicians as well. Just adding to the chaos.

"President Walsh!! What do you think of the new justice system?"

"Mr. Walsh! What are your thoughts on the Emerson vs Boyle Supreme Court case?"

"Mrs. Vice President Jenkins! How will the administration's new executive order affect the nation as a whole?"

Reporters were shoving us all around, trying to get near the front of the building. It was evident that the president Jackson Walsh and vice president Katherine Jenkins were finally here.

Erica saw the opportunity in the madness. Secret service and security were trying their best to keep the crowd at bay, but they were quickly outnumbered. While no one was looking, we somehow got around the security checkpoint and shoved our way into the capitol building. Everyone was focused on the action at the steps of the capitol building, sono one paid attention to us. I don't even think we went through the metal detectors. That's lucky for us, because I'm pretty sure Erica was hiding some type of weapon on her.

Once we got inside, it was way calmer. There was still an abundance of secret service, but we were all dressed accordingly (I was wearing the same clothes from Joshua's campaign event) and had badges around our neck, so no one gave us a second glance. I was worried we'd be the only ones that weren't politicians in this building. I was very wrong. First, the capitol building is so vast that thousands of people work there daily and they don't get a day off for the state of the union address. Second, news crews from around the world came to stream the address to everyone at home. We blended in very nicely with the tv crew from C-SPAN as their group was trying to lug all their equipment past the chaos at the front.

The capitol building never ceases to amaze me. As a kid from Washington DC, I've been to the building on a field trip a dozen times, minus the times our family wants to see it when they come to visit. The entryway with the beautiful marvel statues and of course, the famous dome with its breathtaking artwork design. I noticed Zoe and Mike take a second to admire it as well. Erica was all business.

There was another security check as we walked in. But since we were with the news crew, they were quickly waved through without stopping because all of the equipment would set off the alarm every time. Within seconds, we had unrestricted access to the building.

When we turned the corner, we quickly broke away from the tv crew. Erica took sharp turns and led us down long passageways, where there seemed to be no people.

"Uh... do you know where you're going?" Mike asked her as she led us down another unused, abandoned hallway.

Erica rolled her eyes at him, "I've had this building memorized since I was five. This is only one of the most important US government buildings ever. It's a shortcut to take us to the left wing of the building where, according to Scott, Jackson's class tour is supposed to take place. It makes sense as most of the access to the basement and maze of catacombs is over there."

"There are catacombs beneath this building?" Zoe asked, surprised.

Erica nodded, "For sure. You could get from one side of the building to another just by the basement. The hard part is navigating it. I have a rough idea, but even I don't know how to get all the way from the left wing to the right wing."

After what felt like an entirety of twists and turns, we were spat out in a large, open hallway. It was way more used than the other ones. The ceilings were about three stories high with doors to offices lining the halls. Huge murals of our founding fathers and important moments in the US's history hung on the walls. Business people milled about.

We followed Erica to yet another hallway. This one wasn't abandoned, but it was definitely not used very often. Erica paused and winced a little.

"You okay?" Zoe asked, sounding slightly concerned.

Erica nodded, just looking a little annoyed, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I have this like a chunk of food or something stuck under my tooth. It's like wedges into my gum now. I flossed the hell out of it last night but it didn't get it unstuck. Now it's just annoying."

"Still?" I asked, remembering it was bothering her earlier.

"Yes, it's fine though. According to Scott, this is where he was instructed to lead the kids and leave the group to set the bomb. Makes sense. This hallway has the most access to the underground maze than any other spot in the building. I guess we wait until we see the group? I'm just hoping Joshua didn't change the location after he fired Scott."

So we awkwardly waited there. The state of the union address tends to run about an hour and a half at the most but it was still ten minutes until it was supposed to start. We pretending to be very invested in these stupid pamphlets that were on display.

After about five minutes, we heard little high pitched voices. Goosebumps appeared on my skin. It was showtime. The group had just arrived, but we couldn't see them yet. But boy, could I hear them.

"Look! I can jump higher than you!" Some little girl yelled.

"Oh yeah?" Another little girl, about five by the sound of her voice, retorted, "Well I can jump on ONE foot! See?"

We all made eye contact and slowly started to creep towards the sounds.

We turned the corner and saw a group of about twenty five year olds yelling and jumping around. We tried to find who was leading the group. One taller man with brown hair had his back turned. He must be a chaperone. My blood ran cold. I couldn't see another adult. Did they already go down into the basement to set the bomb? That would make it a hundred times harder to find. We wanted to apprehend them before they had the chance to set up the bomb. We were too late.

The little kids finally noticed us at the end of the hallway. It was evident they found US history to be VERY boring and was looking for anything to be a distraction. They started pointing and shouting.

A distinct voice rose above the others.

"Mommy!" It was Jackson. He sounded delighted to see her.

Luckily, the kids seemed to be in good condition. The chaperones who worked for Joshua weren't cold hearted enough to hurt five year olds. I think they were even attempting to teach them some history in the process. Yeah, try to get some kids to learn the civil war. Good luck.

Zoe's face filled with relief then worry. Jackson was here and unharmed, but not for long. According to my watch, the address started five minutes ago. The bomb technically could go off at any second.

"We're gonna get him," I whispered to Zoe comfortingly, "They're going to be okay."

She nodded, but didn't look too sure.

All of the attention made the man turn around. The chaperone did a full 180 and faced us. I could feel my mouth hit the floor. My friend's around me were equally shocked.

Wow, I haven't seen Warren Reeves in YEARS. He physically matured a lot. His baby face was gone and was replaced with a nerdy look. He was tall and lanky with styled brown hair and even a short beard. When he saw us, he looked surprised, but he definitely wasn't as shocked as we were. There might have been a hint of expectancy and even... joy? That was odd. But he still paused for a moment and didn't know what to do.

"Holy sh-" Mike started but Erica interrupted him.

"Mike and Zoe, you get the kids to safety and Ben and I will handle the bomb and disarming Warren. Lead the kids out of here and far away. We'll handle the rest."

"We will..?" I questioned, but there was no use. Out of the blue, one of the kids started charging at us full force.

Well who we thought was a kid. Turns out, it was none other than our good old friend Ashley Sparks.

Poor Ashley Sparks hasn't grown since we last saw her over a decade ago. Some people stop growing younger than most, so this must have been the case for Ashley. She still seemed about five feet tall. Erica had a huge growth spurt and was like five eleven now and was almost a whole foot taller.

But what I clearly noticed was that they were both still wearing their chaperone backpacks. So luckily for us, they hadn't set the bomb yet.

Everything started to happen at once.

"GO!" Erica screamed at Zoe and Mike while she prepared to fight Ashely. Zoe, Mike and I started sprinting towards the group as Warren frantically tried to herd the kids away from us and down the hallway.

The kids weren't scared but seemed mostly excited at the idea something other than US history was happening.

We reached them and I knew I had to attack Warren. I haven't had a day of training in ten years. I had a month free trial at the CrossFit gym near my apartment but after that expired and realized how crazy expensive it was to have a membership, I quickly dropped out.

With lack of better judgement, I body slammed Warren. Together, we went tumbling down to the ground. The kids started cheering like we were putting on a show for them.

I heard Zoe and Mike tell the kids to drop their backpacks. Smart. There was a small chance Joshua had someone sneak the bomb into a kid's backpack and they wanted to eliminate that threat. They told the kids to follow them and leave us. The kids, stupidly going with strangers, started to follow them. But I think it did help that Zoe was Jackson's mom and probably knew some of the kids from play dates. Warren and Ashely didn't seem a bit concerned that they were taking them and didn't try to stop Zoe and Mike. Zoe lead the kids back the way we came and Mike hung back, making sure none of them got away and to make sure Warren or Ashley didn't try to fight back. The kids were going with them easily to everyone's relief.

All the backpacks littered the ground. Warren and I rolled on the ground for a few feet and rolled over some Paw Patrol backpacks which hurt a lot. Warren's backpack came off in the little scuffle.

I heard shouts, grunts and punches from where we left Ashely and Erica. It was evident that Erica had definitely been training while living her luxurious lifestyle and was stronger than ever. Ashley, too, had trained and was giving Erica a run for her money. This all gave me some serious nostalgia.

Warren stood up first and yanked me up with him. It looked like he had worked out a bit in those last ten years. Back in spy school, fighting Warren was a piece of cake but now I feel like it would be more of an actual fight.

As we were sizing each other up, I could feel him studying my face and features. It had been so long since I last saw him too. We were both just noticing how we both changed. Warren definitely didn't lose his weight and I think even had somewhat of a beer belly, despite muscular arms.

"Still working for the bad guys?" I sneered at him.

"Erica is still bossing you around?" He sneered right back at me.

Oh that's how he was going to play?

"You still lovesick? Still dreaming about your imaginary life with Zoe? How does it feel to see her child from another man?" I snarled.

Hurt flashed in his eyes for a second. Warren quickly recovered.

"Still lovesick for Erica? I saw in a newspaper she's cheating on you with a hotter, richer actor I think." Warren retorted.

"Nope, but thanks for asking. How's life been? Are you with Ashley? You guys a thing?" I asked, very snarky.

This was obviously a sore spot for Warren, although I don't know why. In anger, he charged at me. I had less than a second to react and quickly side stepped him.

He stumbled but caught himself before he could crash to the ground. I took this opportunity to be in the offense and punched him right in the stomach. He stumbled but didn't fall. That layer of fat really protected him.

As he was stumbling backwards, I kicked him in the shins. I didn't have much experience fighting and quite frankly, I kinda forgot a lot of it from spy school. When this is over, if it's over, I need to get back in the gym.

I could already see a giant red spot appearing on his shin. He hissed through gritted teeth and stood back up. Without warning, he karate chopped me in the side. As I staggered to the right, he brought his leg up to kick me straight in the jaw. He was a few inches taller than me. If he was successful, I would be out of commission right then.

But as his lanky leg flew towards my face, I grabbed his leg and yanked it, causing him to slam, without anything to stop him, right into the ground. His head hit the marvel floor with a thud and even I winced for him. That seemed like it hurt really bad.

I let go of his leg and Warren didn't even try to get back up. He laid there on his side, groaning and wincing in pain. The fight was over as quickly as it started.

I flipped him on his stomach. On the back of his head, I could already see a huge lump forming. I felt myself feel a little bad for a second.

I looked around for something I could tie him up with. The only thing I found was a rainbow bracelet made of rubber bands. A rainbow loom bracelet. They were attached to practically every girl's backpack in LARGE quantities. Grabbing a few of those, I yanked Warren's hands behind his back and looped the bracelets around his wrists a few times. He didn't even protest. The bracelets were surprisingly more sturdy than I thought. Those girls were phenomenal at making them.

I dragged Warren to the wall and propped his head up. He avoided looking me in the eyes and didn't try to fight back.

I was surprised no one called security or even came out to see what was going on. We were yelling and using the entire hallway. But either no one was working around here or no one cared. That was good.

Erica and Ashely were still duking it out. I saw a small body fly through the air and hit the wall painfully. That didn't deter Ashley and she got up like nothing happened.

Ashley looked awfully beat up though. She was sporting a black eye and a bruised cheek. She had a black and blue shin and was limping a lot. Erica didn't back down. I noticed Erica as well. She was a bit beat up too, though not as bad as Ashely. She has scratches all over her face, some which were bleeding and was clutching her side. Other than that, she didn't look too bad.

Ashely launches herself at Erica. She actually jumped super high and wrapped her legs around Erica's neck and did some fancy move where she twisted her down and slammed Erica to the ground. I recoiled for a second. Yikes, that looked painful. I've gotta hand it to Ashley though, that move was impressive, especially on someone who was almost a foot taller.

Erica got up quickly. It didn't look like it hurt her, just pissed her off even more. Ashely was struggling and staggering towards Erica. The fight seemed to be almost over, with Erica clearly having the upper hand. Erica seemed to have it under control so I decided to not engage.

Erica launched a series of attacks at Ashley, which she blocked and launched her own. Erica deflected those. It was an endless loop, Erica attacking her and Ashley attacking back. I almost didn't notice but Erica was slowly pushing Ashley towards the wall. Erica was also exhausting Ashley. She was already weak from her injuries but Erica was keeping her on her toes and having her fight even more. When Erica had Ashley almost against the wall, with one final shove, slammed Ashley against the wall so hard she crumpled to the ground. Erica immediately ran to check her pulse. Luckily, she was alive, but unconscious. No one, despite how evil she may be, wanted her to die.

Erica let out a big deep breath. She looked a little beat up, but otherwise fine. I collected even more rainbow loom bracelets while Erica picked up Ashley's limp body and carried her over to Warren. I think Erica felt a bit guilty as she so badly beat up someone much smaller than her. Back in spy school, they were a little bit more evenly matched. Erica had the upper hand from the start. But you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

We propped Ashely up next to Warren and bound her hands behind her. Warren was more alert now and was glaring at us angrily.

Erica paid no attention to Warren, which just fueled his anger. Ashley lost her backpack in the fight as well. Erica and I lined all the backpacks up, kids included, into two neat lines. I was to go through the backpacks in the top row and Erica on the bottom row.

The kid's backpacks were uneventful. Their parents packed them amazing lunches too. I may or may not have eaten some chips from a boy's lunch and a sandwich from a girl's. Hey, it's not like they're getting these back anytime soon and I was hungry. I could feel Erica's judgemental eyes on me but I didn't care.

We finally reached Warren and Ashely's backpacks. We weren't expecting anything in the kids backpacks but definitely a bomb in the adult backpacks. We opened them to find... nothing.

Well nothing important. A bottle of water, lunch, some sunglasses but no bomb. Erica and I shared a confused and angry look. If the bomb wasn't in the backpack, it must mean they've set it already but they wouldn't have the time...

We dumped EVERYTHING out of those backpacks. We felt the interior for a secret pocket or anything. Nowadays, technology is so advanced that a bomb the size of a penny could blow up this entire building. Erica revealed a knife she was hiding and even cut open the backpacks. Our worry grew when we couldn't find anything.

Warren was sitting there with a passive look on his face.

Erica was angry now. We went through all of this trouble for absolutely nothing. And at this point, the meeting was already thirty minutes in. We had no idea when the supposed bomb was set to go off.

Erica approached Warren with a deadly look in her eyes. I could see the genuine fear in his eyes.

Erica pressed her knife to Warren's throat. He inhaled shakily.

"I'm going to ask you once," she said, deadly calm, "Where is the bomb?"

Confusion morphed onto his face, "Huh, what bomb?"

Erica grew angrier. It was terrifying to see.

She slapped him across the face, hard. "Don't play dumb with me. Your little gig is over. Where is it?"

"I don't know!" He cried out, looking scared.

She slapped him ever harder in the face. Erica shoved the knife harder against his neck, "I know you're both working for Joshua. I know he sent you here to bomb the union address. So where is it? I'm going to keep hitting you harder until you tell me."

Warren looked around frantically but there was no one to save him now that Ashely was unconscious.

"I- I don't know! I swear! Joshua hired me and Ashley to lead a group of kids through this building at this spot. It was super last minute and we didn't have time to question him." Warren was cracking very easily. In my opinion, he seemed to be telling the truth and he looked seriously terrified. Erica, however, didn't seem to think so.

She punched him this time, "I don't have anything against slitting a man's throat if they're going to try to overtake our government. Now tell me where you and Ashely hid the bomb to explode the capitol building and everyone in it. Reminder, you're in the building too. I know it's supposed to be in the backpack. So where is it?"

This time Warren seemed even more confused.

"What? Wait what are you talking about? Blowing up the building?? What?! What is going on?"

His terror and confusion seems very real to me. I saw this only made Erica even madder as she seemed to think Warren knew. I wouldn't be too sure though. Warren's an idiot and breaks very easily under pressure. If I were Joshua, I wouldn't tell him. I would tell Ashley and have her do it. But she's out cold and no help.

"Hey, I think he really doesn't kno-" I started to tell Erica but she ignored me.

"Where is it?!" She yelled at Warren as she punched him yet again. This time it was so hard that Warren quickly went unconscious.

I ran to check his pulse and yes he was alive, but very unconscious. I was a bit annoyed that Erica let her emotions get the best of her a little but there and lost our only lead. It seemed like Erica noticed that as well and was a bit pissed too.

We dragged them into this storage closet and locked the door from the outside. If this place was going down, they were sure going to go down with it.

Erica swore loudly, "Okay, well, I guess we have to search the basement ourselves. We have to hurry because we have no idea when this bomb is gonna blow. It could happen at any second."

With those comforting words, I followed her down a basement into the catacombs of this nation's capitol building.

When we got down the staircase, I was pleasantly surprised how clean it was for the most part. The hallways were wide and long and seemed to stretch forever. Luckily Erica knew how to navigate where to go based on the direction we were facing so that was good. We didn't know what we were looking for as the bomb could be disguised to look like anything these days. It could look like an iPhone and we wouldn't know the difference. It also could be super small, as small as a penny. It seemed like not many people went down here though so everything had a fine layer of dust on it. The only thing we were going off of was to look for something that seemed to be placed recently.

Because Ashley or Warren placed the bomb so quickly before the meeting, we knew it could be far from this area. It looked like they used this area as storage for the most part. There were old event signs for tours, events or meetings. They had rows and rows of old chairs lined against the wall. We searched that area for a half an hour, venturing further and farther from the area and finding nothing. It was really pissing us off. We were acutely aware of the time running out. The address would be over pretty soon and the bomb could go off at any second.

"Ugh where is it?" I complained.

Erica threw a box we looked through a thousand times in pure frustration, "I don't know, okay? We've searched this area over and over! Is it not here? I don't know what to do at this point."

I groaned and felt like giving up. I was tired and so done. I was just messing around and walked through this old security metal detector.

To my absolute shock, it beeped.

Erica turned around quickly, "What just happened?"

"This thing beeped," I said, pointing to the metal detector. It looked exactly like the ones in airports.

Erica came over and examined it.

"Huh, it's plugged in but there's a good layer of dust on it. Someone must have forgotten they plugged it in. The dust is undisturbed. It looks months old."

"Could this be the bomb?" I asked her, running my hands down the side.

"Maybe..." she said, trailing off. Suddenly, it looked like something occurred to her. She had a wary but alert look on her face.

"Ben, stand next to me," she instructed me. Confused, I did as I was told.

"Now walk through it," she told me. I did and the machine beeped again.

"Now walk back," she said. The security metal detector beeped once again as I passed through. It was obvious I was setting it off. But why? I had no metal on me.

"What's going on? I don't have any metal on me!" I asked her, super confused now.

Erica looked very thoughtful, "Are you sure? No buttons, no wallet, phone? Maybe you took something out of a kid's backpack, like that lunch you were stealing."

"Yes I'm sure!" I explained as I took another mental inventory of what I was wearing and what I had on me, "I specifically didn't wear anything metal because you told us not to before we left. I'm sure."

Erica looked at me with a grave expression.

"Darn it. I was hoping I was wrong, that you had something metal on you."

This made me really worried, "What's going on?"

Erica had a serious expression on her face, "Ben, I think you're the bomb."


	31. Chapter31

"What?" I asked, really confused, "How am I the bomb?"

"It's the only logical thing at this point. We searched the entire area," Erica explained.

"Wait, maybe it's going off on anything. You walk through it," I told Erica. Maybe, because the machine was underground for so long, it malfunctioned and would beep at anything.

Erica did as I said and walked through it. It didn't beep. I was the only one who was setting off the alarm.

She gave me a pointed look.

"But where is it then?" I asked. I don't think the shock of being a bomb had hit me yet. I was still super confused how it could have happened.

"Did you take anything from Joshua's event? A keychain or even a pen?" Erica asked me.

I shook my head rapidly, "No, in fact, I avoided accidentally taking anything. Someone offered to take my coat and I jumped away from them. No one got near my things."

"Take off your clothes," Erica said simply.

That took me by surprise, "What now?" I asked.

"Remember how back in spy school when your jacket was holding a bomb? Maybe someone snuck it in your clothes while you weren't looking at Joshua's event."

It made sense, but I was reluctant to strip in front of Erica. Whatever, time was running out. I took my jacket and then my shirt off. I was unbuttoning my pants when Erica quickly interrupted me.

"No, keep the pants on," Erica said with a disgusted look on her face. Thank god.

I walked through the metal detector again. Yet again, it beeped, signaling the bomb was still on me, not in my clothes.

Erica groaned in defeat and so did I.

"Did you eat anything?" Erica asked me after a second of thinking.

"At the event?" I asked as I put my clothes back on.

"Yes," she said, "Also, when was the last time you pooped?"

I whirled around, "What? Now we're getting a little too personal for my liking."

Erica rolled her eyes, "I'm thinking that maybe you ingested it during the event. Did you eat anything?"

"Yeah we all did," I replied, "Remember the buffet?"

She shook her head, "No, all the guests ate from that and we served ourselves. Any time after that?"

I thought for a second and then remembered those amazing finger sandwiches.

"Well, I ate some cucumber finger sandwiches off a lady's tray after meeting with Joshua." I said, "But hold on! You ate a sandwich too! Peanut butter and jelly if I remember correctly."

Erica nodded, remembering that as well, "You're right. But I'm not setting the alarm off. You are. And that is very interesting. From what I remember about that moment, the lady holding the tray exited the kitchen right as we were done meeting Joshua. Like clockwork even. As if that wasn't an accident..."

"Maybe it wasn't!" I exclaimed, starting to figure it out, "I think Joshua told her to exit when we did! He knew we were hungry and those sandwiches looked too inviting not to eat. The bomb must have been in one of the five sandwiches I ate!"

"You ate five?" Erica said with disgust, "And you're probably right. It's not like she was milling around before giving you the sandwiches. She had just exited the kitchen, which probably means those sandwiches were especially for us. And nowadays, technology is so advanced the bombs could be tiny and easily ingested without detection."

"But you ate off the exact same tray I did," I pointed out, "But the metal detector isn't going off!"

Erica shrugged, "Maybe my one sandwich didn't have a bomb. Why would he use two if one would do? So have you pooped since the party?" Erica asked me.

I thought for a moment and realized with a wave of nausea that I haven't pooped at all since the party. That means the bomb is still probably in me.

"No," I admitted sheepishly, "Did you?"

"Number one, ew that's really gross Ben. And two, yes I did. So even if there was a bomb inside me, I would have crapped it out already." Erica explained.

"So what do I do? Wait until I have to poop?" I asked.

Erica recoiled at that, "No. I don't trust your digestive tract enough right now to poop in time before the address is over if you don't poop for like two days. And going through your poo to find and destroy a bomb is less than ideal. We've gotta do what we've gotta do."

"What does that mea-" Without warning, Erica stabbed three fingers in my stomach really hard.

Reflectively, I obviously threw up. Erica jumped out of the way as a pile of throw up.

This brought back a very early memory. Twelve years ago, when I first joined spy school. I was kidnapped and thrown into a van. Erica saved me and the van tossed me around so much that she was afraid I'd throw up. Doing the exact same thing she did now, she made me throw up. If only she'd offer me some tic tacs right now to fully complete the memory.

Without thinking, I was smiling, despite the vomit running down my chin. I had really missed this. I was in a pretty dark place when I first sought out Erica at the beginning of this. I needed a way to regain my footing and surprisingly, the possibility of getting blown up was all I needed. I wanted to relive my glory days so badly so I could remember what it was like to feel like myself again. But I needed to move on. I wasn't a teenager anymore. This journey has almost been a spiritual one, one where I find out who I am and who I want to be. This throw up moment is full circle for me. What started something that's such a big part of my life is helping me close that chapter of my life.

Erica wasted no time however. Unfortunately, we had to look through my vomit for anything that could resemble a bomb. It wasn't too much throw up, thank god, so we could look at it pretty easily.

Immediately, something caught my attention. There was a small piece of what looked like metal glimmering amidst the brown goop. It was the size of a baby tooth, very small and square.

Erica recognized it too. She grabbed a nearby pencil and carefully dragged it out of the vomit with a wrinkled nose.

Using a bottle of water we found in the tunnels, she carefully rinsed off the object.

I finally could get a good look at it. It was very small and square. It wasn't metal, but some other shiny substance without any clear markings on it. It didn't look like anything particularly special to me, especially not a bomb, but Erica knew what was up.

"Holy crap," she said, a little stunned, "I was right. Ben, this thing was inside you! This has enough power and force to blow this entire building up."

I looked at her in a bit of disbelief. It was freakin tiny! It doesn't even look like it could blow up a frog!

"Um... how?" I asked.

Erica looked at me like I was an idiot, "This is the Russian TX-4r. One of the most deadly bombs in the world! I guess you haven't been keeping up with the espionage world these last few years. Technology, especially weapons, have been advancing so rapidly lately due to all the funds our governments have been pouring into them. It's crazy dangerous and surprisingly not too expensive, if you know where to get them from."

I still didn't really believe it, "Like how though? There doesn't look like there's enough shrapnel or gunpowder in that tiny thing to blow anything up."

Erica shook her head, "Bombs don't really work like that anymore. Bombs nowadays react with more of your chemical makeup than physically impairing you or blowing you up. So this bomb is super deadly because it releases a type of radiation that reacts negatively to your cell's nucleus via neutrons. So basically, when a single free neutron strikes the nucleus of an atom of radioactive material like uranium, which is what this is made out of, it knocks two or three more neutrons free. Energy is released when those neutrons split off from the nucleus, and the newly released neutrons strike other uranium nuclei, splitting them in the same way, releasing more energy and more neutrons. This chain reaction spreads almost instantaneously. This is the same concept of the atomic bombs used in World War Two with Japan but twice as deadly as it reacts far quicker and with twice the amount of neutrons. It will literally melt your insides and because of all the chemicals, will simultaneously blow you up. It has the same explosive reaction as a gunpowder bomb and the chemical makeup deadliness of an atomic bomb. Highly deadly."

It took me a second to process all of this and when I did, I was terrified we were in the presence of such a deadly bomb.

"I thought after World War Two we would ban the use of atomic weaponry for good," I said shakily.

"Do you think Joshua cares? He's a madman out for power. Not saving human lives. Ethics is obviously not his top priority."

"But the atomic bombs in World War Two blew up cities. I'm guessing Joshua only wanted to kill people in this building. How does he control it?" I asked.

"These types of bombs have been especially crafted to only blow up in a certain space. Normally, atomic bombs have radiation fallout, which makes them deadly for weeks after. This bomb doesn't. Once it goes off, the radiation spreads for about three minutes and then the chemical makeup destroys itself. It will easily kill everyone in the building but the likeliness of it spreading outside is unlikely. Militaries use it mainly for raids of terrorist cells." Erica explained to me.

This was even more concerning. If it was a typical bomb, you could probably smash a rock on it to destroy it as long as you don't detonate it. But with radiation, it's way harder to control and destroy.

"What do we do? How do we get rid of it?"

Erica thought about this for a moment, "I'm not really sure. I don't know too much about this specific type of bomb, but I know about nuclear and atomic bombs. If possible, you want to get them far underground so they don't destroy everything above ground. We aren't far enough below ground for it to not be effective. The other thing that would help to contain it is trapping it with no air holes whatsoever. The radiation can't permeate if it can't get out. Typically lead lined things are ideal. Cold water helps too after it detonates as some of the chemicals are absorbed into water, making it less deadly."

"Let's look around," I said, wasting no time, "There's only like twenty five minutes until the meeting is over. We don't know when the bomb is going to go off."

Erica nodded and we looked around. Within a few minutes, we stumbled upon a jackpot of materials.

The capitol building hosts events that involve catering often. And the catacombs serve as a way for food vendors to get around the building unseen to the partygoers. Down here, they stored a bunch of kitchen materials. Including a giant fridge, sink, cabinets and other stuff. It was a full sized, seemingly working, industrial kitchen. I guess caterers prepare all their food down here. I don't know how to feel about that.

Anyway, Erica was immediately drawn to this small mini fridge that I think they store wine in. It was not only lead-lined but had a secure latch. Since it was for wine and not really actual food, there weren't as many air holes for smell ventilation.

"Let's use this," she said as she dragged it to the middle of the floor. I grabbed the bomb with a paper towel and went over to Erica.

We were running out of time as the meeting was over in twenty minutes and didn't have any better ideas.

I carefully put the bomb inside the fridge and Erica latched it closed. Using some old duct tape we found, we covered all of the air holes remaining with layers of it. And as one final touch, Erica dumped a bunch of water bottles in it to hopefully absorb some of the chemical blast. We knew it was still going to explode so we had to find somewhere to put it to control the blast.

The answer was at our feet. On the floor of the kitchen, there was a grate and drain, like the ones you see on the streets. It must be like water or something if you spill. I'm not sure. Erica noticed it a second after me.

The fridge was really heavy as it was full of a few gallons of water and wrapped in duct tape. Together, we lifted the grate and lowered the mini fridge down inside the drain thing. It went down farther than we expected. We didn't know what the purpose was or what was even down there, but blowing that little area up was much better than all of our country's top politicians.

"Is that it..?" I asked, sounding uncertain. Even though the bomb was encased in this makeshift box thing, it still felt awfully exposed.

I could tell Erica felt the same way. Then she noticed the kitchen sized fridge. It was about twice the size of a home refrigerator, super heavy and stainless steel.

"We should move the fridge on top of the grate," Erica said and together we shoved it on top of the grate. I felt like it was more secure that way.

"Now what?" I turned to her.

"We leave. We did everything we could. If we see a smoking crater where the capitol building used to be, then we know we failed. But it helps no one if we blow up and quite frankly, I don't want that to happen. Let's get out of here and hopefully Mike and Zoe got Jackson's class to safety." I only nodded and followed after her.

Today was exhausting. I saw Warren and Ashely for the first time and then found I had a bomb inside me for the last few days. Mentally and physically exhausting. But finally, we saved the day once again.

The moment was bittersweet. Well for starters, I didn't know if we had actually successfully saved everyone. But at this point, there really wasn't much left we could do. These last few days had been the best days in a while. Not only did I get to see my old friends again but I felt like the hero again. It was that boost I needed after a crappy few years. But it's good because now I feel like I have a good relationship with all my spy school friends enough to keep in touch with. And I even met a new, very sweet and pretty person that I know I'll keep in touch with for the rest of my life.

We walked out of the catacombs and out the main entrance. No one stopped us. The outside of the capitol building was still chaotic as news crews were reporting on the address from outside and police were trying to manage the mess.

As we descended down the stairs, a black SUV idling in the front caught my eye. It didn't look anything special from the SUV's that brought politicians to the address but this one was still here. All of the windows, save for the front windshield, was all tinted a dark black.

Erica and I didn't want to draw attention to ourselves so we casually started strolling away from the famous building. As we were crossing the main driveway in front of the car though, I peeked inside the car via the untinted windshield. And the person sitting in the car was someone I thought I'd never see again in my entire life.

I saw him for a split second, so it barely registered. I sped up and stopped Erica after we crossed the street.

"See that car parked in front of the crosswalk?" I whispered to Erica.

She looked at me super confused and just nodded.

"I think Murray Hill is in that car," I said.

I could be wrong, but I had a feeling. The person sitting in the driver's seat was on their phone and their head was down. The person also had two crumpled up subway sandwich wrappers on the dashboard of a very fancy car. He looked extremely bored and I'm guessing he was supposed to keep lookout. I didn't directly see his face yet, but I had a good feeling it was Murray.

Erica's eyes widened in surprise and went back into the crosswalk to see for herself. This time, the person realized someone was looking in and looked up from his phone.

I was right. It was Murray. Wow, I thought I'd never see him again. Ten years ago, when we thwarted the UN meeting bombing, Murray helped Erica. Because of this, he was on good terms with the government at the moment. The government wanted him to stay good and help them thwart evil, so while the rest of us went back to spy school, he worked directly with the CIA. Murray was supposed to tell the government everything he knew about all evil, but working in a cooperative fashion with the CIA, not under force. He had a supervisor and was practically under surveillance 24/7 despite technically being a CIA agent. They didn't trust him for obvious reasons. According to rumors and sources, he was mad they didn't trust him and still treated him like a prisoner, instead of a coworker. He apparently told the CIA reliable intel for the first two months that was really helpful. Just when the CIA thought they could trust him, he lied about a big operation that wasted millions of the CIA's funds as Murday's way to get back at him. Murray thought it was a way to demonstrate how valuable he was to them and thus the CIA should treat him with respect. Obviously that reasoning makes literally no sense and the CIA wasn't happy. They were furious and wanted to try Murray for treason. Murray freaked out and disappeared. Rumors had it he went to Spain or something, out of the CIA's direct jurisdiction but no one really knew. And no one has seen him since, that I know of, until now.

He looked about the same since the last time I saw him. Most people had some type of a glow up or at least physical difference, but not Murray. He still had his baby face and his hair unkempt. He wasn't fat at least and had a dad bod. He was also very tan so maybe the Spain rumors were true and he stayed there.

When Murray saw Erica he freaked out to say the least. He bolted upright in his chair and immediately turned the ignition on. It looked like he wanted to get as far away from Erica as he could. I was worried he would try to hit Erica in the crosswalk, but he immediately floored the gas pedal in reverse and tore through the parking lot. Erica looked at me in a panic and I knew we had to follow him. When Murray Hill showed up at something, you knew it couldn't be good.

Erica ran to a nearby car, an older 2000 Honda and used a card to break into the car. There wasn't a second to protest. She hit the gas right as I sat down and started to follow Murray. Luckily, all the other people and reporters didn't care what was going on as long as they had footage for the news that night on the state of the union address.

Murray went speeding down the street and he had a jump on his. I was trying to the best of my ability to make sure I knew where his car was. Erica was doing some excellent fast and the furious type maneuvering through the traffic.

Even though I knew DC quite well as a resident here, I still wasn't sure on all the streets and freeways. I wanted to find a map so I could hopefully predict where Murray was going.

Opening the glove box looking for a map, I didn't find a map but something more surprising. Sitting in the glovebox was a fully loaded glock. This is America I guess. Erica was excited to see that as we were probably on our way to confront Murray and whoever hired him. I put the gun back in the glove box.

"Murray looks the same," Erica joked with a smirk on her face. This wasn't exactly the time to joke as we were pushing minty miles per hour on a seventy five miles per hour freeway. We could still see Murray's SUV down the road. I was a little bit stressed going down the street so fast so I welcomed it with a smile.

"Yeah you're right. I haven't seen him since? Have you?" I asked her.

She shook her head, "I haven't, but Audrey has. She's been updating me on him. Apparently he was laying low in a small island off the coast of Spain while the CIA was trying to negotiate with the government over there to hand him over. About a year or two ago when the two governments were finally working a deal out, Murray disappeared. No one saw him and the CIA was freaking out as to where he was. I guess we know now where he is."

"I bet he's working for Joshua again. Despite how many times Joshua betrays him or hurts him, Murray seems to always find his way back." I grumbled.

"Yeah of course he does because Murray only cares about money and power, two of the things Joshua has a lot of at the moment. I bet Joshua had Murray camp out in front to make sure we didn't escape. I'm sure he's radioing Joshua now to let him know we're out. We've gotta be careful."

I nodded in agreement. I was happy we were getting far away from the capitol building but still worried about the outcome of the whole thing. I was praying the bomb box worked. We turned on the radio to hear what reporters were saying was going on in the capitol building. So far, we heard nothing out of the ordinary which I guess is a good sign. Who knows? Maybe the bomb already exploded and no one knew about it because we successfully thwarted them. I doubted that though. The address was over in like fifteen to twenty minutes. If it was going to explode, it would likely be soon.

Murray's SUV suddenly did a crazy swerve and pulled off the freeway. We were out of the craziness of the city and now into a less populated area. This area is known for beautiful landscapes and calming hiking trails. Many people come out here to escape the downtown DC area.

Erica followed in suit and I'm honestly surprised we didn't get in a wreck. The move she pulled was crazy and we drifted across three lanes. Cars weren't happy and were honking at us. Luckily we still had sights on Murray's SUV.

There was one main rode most people took to get to the hiking trails and lookout points, but Murray took an unpaved back road. Because we were driving on loosely packed dirt, neither one of us could go very fast. We quickly caught up to Murray and was on his tail. Through the mirror, we could see his panicked face. Murray has been in some intense situations but here seemed really stressed, honestly more stressed than I'd ever seen him before. It really, really didn't want to be near us. Ouch.

We kept driving down this back road full of vegetation for a few more miles. This whole trip should've taken fifteen to twenty minutes but with them both speeding and driving erratically it was a little under ten minutes. It was a narrow one way street. I had no idea where Murray was going.

Finally, Murray stopped and I noticed we reached a gate. The gate was modern made up of polished wood that blended in very nicely to the forest. We were at some sort of private property, one that by the looks of it, is expensive. I can only assume who he led us to: Joshua Hallal.

My first thought was why would he lead us to Joshua? Wouldn't he want to not take us directly to his boss? But if Murray is anything like he was ten years ago, he doesn't really care about anyone but himself so if he's going down, Joshua is going down with him. We had to follow him.

Murray punched in some code into the keypad. The gate rolled open smoothly and just as he had enough space, he sped through. The gate was closing and we didn't have enough time to make it through. Erica, not ready to give up now, popped open the glove box with one hand and grabbed the gun out. Immediately I knew to cover my ears. She shot the keypad which caused it to malfunction and stop the gate right where it was, giving this tiny Honda enough room to squeeze through. We didn't see the SUV anymore, but it was a one way road.

There were tall green trees surrounding this entire area. You couldn't even tell you were only like fifteen minutes away from downtown DC. We finally got to the end of the road that opened up to a breathtaking view.

The trees cleared the way for a gorgeous view of the river. You could see the Virginia mountaintops peaking up in the distance and hear the sound of the calm water running over smooth rocks. The sky was clear and the sun hit the area in a light way. Trees lined the river and the water sparkled in the afternoon sun. Sitting on the water was a large wooden cabin with a balcony extending over the river. At the driveway with three massive garage doors sat four black SUV's, identical to the one Murray was driving.

It occured to me this is probably where Joshua is staying during the state of the union address. They are allowed to do and stay wherever they want for that short period of time. Using our precious government funds, he probably rented this house. I couldn't blame him though. The view was magnificent. I'll also bet all of his security was picked himself, that way the government doesn't know about his evil scheme.

Murray has just parked his car and ran inside the house. We parked a few feet up the driveway, so we didn't have to be too close to the house.

Knowing Murray probably alerted the entire house of our presence, we slowly approached it. From inside the house, we could hear some intense yelling between Joshua and Murray.

"YOU IDIOT," I heard Joshua fume, "Why the hell would you lead them here? After what is supposed to happen!"

"If I'm going down, you're going down with me! And why don't you just push the stop button or whatever?" Murray yelled back. Erica glanced at me as we heard the yelling match.

I'm assuming Murray was talking about the bomb inside me. Now that I'm with them, it's no wonder Joshua's mad Murray led us here. I'm supposed to explode in like eight minutes if they wait until the very end of the address.

"Because, you moron, it's preprogrammed! I put the time in so it's not linked to me. Whatever. Let's deal with them and then I'll deal with you." Joshua suddenly appeared at the doorway with a nasty snarl in his face. Guards started running around and while I was put on edge, they did not seem interested in bothering us at all. They were too focused on packing up the SUV's.

"We meet again," Joshua sneered unpleasantly.

"Much to your dismay," Erica noted, watching his guards scramble to get the stuff ready to leave.

"More than you think," Joshua said cryptically.

"We know about the bomb," I told him. His face fell a second and was replaced with a little bit of relief. Joshua knows that means it's probably not here, even though his plan did fail yet again. His relief was quickly replaced with anger.

"How could you?!" He shouted in pure frustration, "How?! The plan was fool proof. I had ten years of work going into this. I sacrificed years of my life for this! I studied politics. Do you know how confusing politics are?! You come in here last minute and just stop my plan? I hate you guys. So much. At least I can finally deal with you."

Ignoring the threat, I told Joshua, "It's not our fault you're an idiot. We would have never known about it if it wasn't for Scott. Or inviting Kurt to your event and having Jackson in the building. And it's good you're finally getting educated. You dropped out of school to pursue this madness."

Joshua smirked, seeming to know something we didn't, "You're stupid. Scott was my failsafe. I knew about Zoe's relationship with Kurt from checking her social media. Kurt was specifically at the event to tell you guys about Jackson's little field trip. That way, you guys would have to go in the building during the meeting. Then you would be there when the bomb explodes inside you. Scott was a decoy. At first, I genuinely wanted him on the plan, but I knew he cared about you Erica and I knew how corruptible he is. Hell, I did it to him myself. So once Scott failed at the plane thing, I took him off the mission. I knew he wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut so I changed the plan. I kept him around in DC hoping you guys would find him and like clockwork, you did. You would be in the underground basement searching, while you're the one to set off the bomb. It's foolproof yet failed once again. I'm sick of it." Joshua didn't look super angry, but utterly defeated. I think it's finally hitting him what a failure he is. I felt myself feel a little bad for him, but that emotion quickly washed away.

"You're really lucky we didn't figure it out sooner," I commented, "If we had gone through the metal detectors at the front, you would have been done. We just found one in the basement, which tipped us off."

This time, confusion set onto his face. Before he could ask or say anything, a guard approached him.

"We're ready," she said. Joshua gave her one crisp nod.

"Well this has been fun," Joshua said in a tone that indicated the opposite, "The good thing about this remote location is no one will hear you die." He gestured behind us and a row of guards were standing there, guns all drawn. A SUV parked horizontally blocked the one road. Guards appeared all around us with guns drawn.

Panic quickly set in. We were trapped. The one road was blocked, there were armed guards surrounding us and no one even knew we were here. After all that I've gone through, was this going to be it?

I glanced over at Erica. She didn't look very concerned, but her face indicated she was deep in concentration. She was thinking about something hard and kept moving her tongue around in her mouth. Lovely. Right as we're about to die, Erica is concerned with whatever food is still stuck in her tooth. Gotta look your best if you have an open casket funeral right?

Even Joshua seemed confused at how unconcerned and passive she was being about all of this. She hasn't even said a word to Joshua this entire time. Suddenly, some type of realization hit her.

Without warning, she surged forward at Joshua. And started making out with him, right on his lips.


	32. Chapter32

**Only ONE MORE CHAPTER after this one!! Wow this is very sad. I've been writing this since December of 2019! Time really flies! Please enjoy!**

I instantly recoiled at the site of Erica fully making out with Joshua. Even the guards were frozen, absolutely stunned. Joshua was surprised, but he definitely didn't protest one bit. It was French kissing too, which was really gross to watch.

Erica suddenly surged forward harshly while making out with Joshua, causing him to gag hard and stumble backwards. In the second it took the guards to decide whether to go after us or help Joshua, Erica started sprinting directly at me.

"Ben, RUN!" She shouted at me as she sped right past me. Concerned because of the urgency of her tone, I started running, following her.

Half of the guards were helping Joshua while the others figured they should chase after us. Luckily we parked really far up the driveway, so we ran past the perpendicular parked SUV. The guards tried to hop in their cars, but they were blocked by their own car. They had to move that one before advancing. We only had to run by the SUV.

Erica hopped in the driver's seat and had her foot on the gas before I even closed the door. Since we shot the gate, it was open just wide enough for us to go through. The SUV's chasing us couldn't fit through. Because we absolutely destroyed the lock pad, the guards had to push the gate open themselves and it was very heavy.

Erica was driving white knuckled and didn't slow down on the dirt paths, and didn't even slow when we got to the highway. She was driving almost twenty miles per hour above the speed limit. Good thing she was controlled and wasn't driving erratically.

She was focused and in the zone. I had no idea what had just happened but I trusted her. After a few minutes of pushing ninety five miles per hour, she slowed significantly to the actual speed limit. In the rearview mirror, I could barely make out the black SUV's trying to find. The advantage of borrowing *ahem* stealing a car was that it looked exactly like all the other cars the locals drove.

"Erica, what's going on? What did you-" I started to ask but she interrupted me by turning on the local radio station. She listened intently to it and out of curiosity, I did too.

"If you're just joining us now, I am outside the United States capitol building where the United State's state of the union address currently happening. As we speak, President Jackson Walsh is rounding out his final statements. Make sure to tune in tonight at eleven for the full scoop of the address."

The meeting was over. Nothing happened. We did it! We actually saved the entire US goverm-

Suddenly, the loudest boom I've ever heard in my entire life ripped through my eardrums. The whole ground shook and I heard screaming from people around us. The shock of it caused cars to swerve and nearly hit us multiple times. Out of instinct, I took cover, putting myself in a brace position. Once I quickly realized nothing happened to me, I got up and got a good look at what had happened.

Erica looked rattled, but otherwise fine. She did a good job of keeping the car in control during the chaos. But behind us was a different story. Cars were pulled over and some even stopped in the middle of the freeway. Luckily, it seemed like everyone was fine and not physically hurt. In the sky, a big smoking cloud was seen above a heavily forested area. It looked like a huge explosion had gone off there... what just happened?

"Erica, what-" I started to ask.

"It worked," she said with shock and disbelief on her face.

"What did?" I asked, super confused.

"While we were talking to Joshua, lots of things occured to me at once. If we had eaten off the same exact tray, why were you the only one who had a bomb? What if you had chosen the peanut butter like I did? And that thing in my teeth. Why wasn't it coming out? While talking to Joshua, I realized that it was a bomb as well. The peanut butter must have saved me as the bomb must have gotten stuck to my mouth, thus I didn't ingest it yet. I should have figured it out earlier but it just felt like a piece of meat or something stuck in my gum. But it was finally unstuck. When I realized what it was while talking to Joshua, I didn't know what to do with it. That's why Joshua was in such a rush to leave. That's why Murray drove off when he saw us. Murray thought we still had the bomb, but you told Joshua we knew about the bomb. He knows we probably destroyed both because we knew about it. Joshua didn't think about the fact that we didn't know about my bomb. Anyway, I realized that as he was talking and thought that, if we had to have the bomb go off anywhere, those wooded areas would be the place. The bomb chemical particles couldn't reach the freeways or really anyone else. So I impulsively started kissing Joshua. While we were making out, I slipped the bomb into his mouth. I used my tongue and shoved it down his throat, making him gag. It was disgusting. I shoved him down and that's when I started running towards you."

I recoiled at that last vivid description of the make out session, but I had to admit that was genius. I can't believe I didn't consider Erica's bomb thing myself. She was complaining about it since Joshua's campaign event. It makes perfect sense.

"So was that Joshua that just blew up?" I asked timidly. Even though he's been tormenting my life for the last thirteen years, no one deserves to die in such a gruesome and painful way (although he was going to subject me to the same death. Hmm.)

Erica avoided eye contact and maybe looked a little pained herself. I forgot sometimes that Joshua and Erica were at one point dating. They were close and knew each other very well. Even though he betrayed her and the entire United States government, feelings and emotions for people are still valid. He was a despicable human being, but still a human being. It hurts to lose someone you know, despite what they did. And Erica has to live with knowing that she did that to him. That can't be easy. Maybe Joshua could have done something great in his life (although I honestly doubt it) in a few years. I'm not too quick to judge people based on their mistakes and flaws, even though Joshua had a lot. He was still a human being that doesn't deserve an end like that. In the end, we're all humans.

Maybe I was rationalizing and humanizing him since he's probably dead. I still knew Joshua for over half my life. But I do believe that humans make mistakes and bad ones, but still have a chance for forgiveness and love. Joshua didn't get any of that.

Of course, I didn't blame Erica at all. Joshua put himself and us in that situation. Things were bound to go wrong.

"What I'm confused about is why the metal detector didn't beep at me," Erica said, completely ignoring my previous question, "Why only you?"

I thought about that for a second, then became acutely aware of a little bulge in my pant's pocket. For some reason, I felt compelled not to say anything to Erica. Discreetly, I slipped my hand in my pocket. Yep. Mark Dazy's ring.

I wore the same pants today as I did at Joshua's campaign event. I completely forgot about the ring I slipped in my pocket. It was lightweight and not noticeable. No wonder the metal detector went off! The ring is made from a barrel of a gun in World War I. Metal detectors obviously detect guns. And Erica said not to take off my pants when I took most of my clothes off to walk through it. It was in my pocket the entire time.

I sat in silence. I also completely forgot how weird it was to see on Joshua's doormat. It was supposed to be on a dead man's hand. I found it very unlikely that Joshua would intentionally put it on his doormat (if someone else found it and the media found out it belonged to his dead mentor there would be issues) so it must be a ghost... unless...

Audrey said that the substance given to Mark that caused his death was a non-lethal allergy medication. There was a chance he didn't die in the first place. Did he plant the ring? Why would he be all the way out here in DC when he is supposed to be in Nebraska? But most importantly, where was he now?

There was one place I thought to try. The only place I could think of. It wouldn't hurt to try.

"Hey, can you drop me off at the Smithsonian?" I asked Erica.

She shot me a very confused side look, "The Smithsonian? Why?"

"There's something I want to check out," I said vaguely.

Noticing the seriousness and urgency in my tone, she changed course without any further questions.

The National Mall and Smithsonian hold a very special place in my heart. Not only did Erica and I hideout outside and near the Smithsonian in my very first year of spy school and when the secret service was hunting me, Erica and I also ran and hid from people pursuing us in the Smithsonian. That mall has been instrumental in my entire spy school journey. Only fitting that I would round out my time as a spy at that very location.

Erica pulled up in front of the National Mall and I got out.

"How are you going to get back?" She asked me through the open window.

"I'll find my way back," I said, waving her off.

She gave me another perplexed look but nodded at me and drove off. She probably thought I was crazy. I had just witnessed a bombing and had one in me today and yet I wanted to go to the Smithsonian. Like I trusted her, I guess she trusts me.

As I know from over ten years ago, admission to the Smithsonian was free. I walked by all the unsuspecting tourists and went to a specific exhibit. I knew realistically that my expectation was probably not going to happen.

I sat down on a bench in the far corner of the exhibit. In front of me, an entire display of artillery used of weapons used in World War I as part of the World War I exhibit.

I never really got a chance to look at the ring clearly, as I had just slipped it in my pocket and obviously forgotten about it. I pulled it out of my pocket. It was a rusty copper color, with a smooth band. It was a very simple, yet practical design that was common with wedding rings when people couldn't afford them. This ring was special because it had a more wooden look to it as it was carved from the handle of a gun used during the war. Engraved inside the band was a date. 10•18•18. October 18, 1918. Less than a month before the Great War officially ended. It made me wonder what the history behind this ring was and the history of the person who made it.

I sat on the bench turning the ring in my hands. Someone sat next to me. My head was down studying the ring.

"Long day?" The person asked.

I gave a little laugh, "You don't even know."

The older man chuckled, "Maybe I do."

I finally sat up and looked over at him. He was an older man, about mid seventies, but still seemed fairly healthy and mobile.

But most importantly, he resembled Hailey Dazy.

"Mark Dazy," I said simply, in sort of a daze. I didn't think that my prediction would be right. I went out here on a whim, as this was such a long shot.

He gave me a smile and stuck his hand out, "Pleasure to meet you Ben Ripley."

"How do you know who I am?" I asked with shock.

I don't think I fully processed his presence yet. He's here, alive and seemingly fairly healthy. What had happened? Why is he here in DC? And if he's here... that means Hailey didn't kill him.

Mark chuckled, "Son, I worked in the United States government for decades. You don't think I know about the academy of espionage? And you were quite the talk of the town back when I went there."

"But why are you alive? What's going on? How did you know I'm Ben?"

"This is too public," he said, standing up, "Come join me for coffee."

Mindlessly, I stood up and followed him to a nearby coffee shop. It was nearly empty and we could talk in private.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Mark started after we both got our coffee, "And you can ask me any questions and I'll try to answer them the best I can."

I was still in shock and only nodded. I had so many questions, I didn't know where to start. So I started at what was at the top of my mind at the moment.

"Did you know about Joshua?" I asked.

"I knew all about Joshua and his nefarious organization when it was all going down, oh, I'd say ten years ago. I worked in the United States government for Pete's sake and they were a national security threat. It was under tight wraps, but as a member of the congress, we knew all about him. After some time, his organization and Joshua disappeared for a while. So when Joshua appeared out of nowhere, claiming to be Joshua Duncan, I was more suspicious. Joshua had no idea I knew he was as I'm 'just a low ranked representative from Nebraska'. I was obviously very curious. You know the phrase 'keep your friends close but enemies closer', I decided if I wanted to figure out what the heck was going on, I had to play along. I welcomed Joshua in, but I never even thought he'd go as far to attempt to kill me, even though I did suspect it."

"What do you mean?" I asked, intrigued.

"Did Hailey ever tell you about this ring?" He asked, pointing to the old band in my hand.

"I little bit," I told him.

"It is a family heirloom from World War I, but you already knew that from where you met me. It was carved by hand from the handle of a gun used in the war. It was going to be a gift to my grandmother after the war, but a mere two weeks before the war ended, he was struck by a bullet and killed. A fellow soldier and friend of my grandfather's saved it and gave it to my grandma after the war. Hence the date carved in it. It's been passed through the Dazy family for generations afterwards," Mark explained, "I was never sure which child I'd give the ring to. Oldest was the most obvious, but I wasn't sure I wanted to give it to Diana. Once Hailey, a young woman only eighteen years old, told me after high school she was leaving the farm to pursue her career in New York, I knew she deserved it. She didn't ask me, she told me. I am so proud of her for that. She is strong, independent and brave. Hailey thought for herself and didn't cave to the pressure of staying and working the farm, like all of her older siblings. It reminded me of my younger self, when I left home to study politics. It was unheard of and really caused a riff in my relationship with my parents. But in the end, I'm so glad I did it as I love my job. Loved." He corrected himself.

I paused as he continued, "But I was getting increasingly suspicious of Joshua. He was doing some very shady and secretive things, even for his standard. I was planning to leave Hailey the ring in my will, but realizing what was going on in the house, I took her to coffee, much like we're doing now. I met her halfway from DC to where she worked in New York. I told her that I loved her and that she inherited the ring, no matter what. Just in case. That was the last time we were together, just daughter and father, until my 'death'."

"Do you blame Hailey?" That was the first question to come to mind and I was really, genuinely curious.

Mark shook his head rapidly, "Not in the slightest. I knew it was Joshua the moment I started to feel extremely groggy. When I learned later Hailey did it too, I was obviously unexpected, but not surprised. I don't blame her one bit. Hailey was quite smitten with Joshua. Growing up in a small town on a farm didn't have many opportunities to meet great guys. They were mostly country boys, which weren't her type. When a smart, sophisticated city boy came to town, she was very interested in him. Joshua and Hailey were together for quite some time. Joshua convinced her I was overworked and needed a break. The whole plan was executed by Hailey so Joshua could remain innocent. She was manipulated by him. And she would do anything for me or Joshua at that point. And I guess they were right. I was overworked and super stressed. I should have retired years ago. Hailey has good intentions, but her follow through wasn't great. I'm just glad you all came down and solved the case. I don't blame Hailey for anything and I hope she didn't blame herself too much."

"So what happened? How are you here and why are you alive?" I asked.

"All that allergy medicine Joshua gave me wasn't lethal. It makes seniors, like myself, very drowsy. It made me so drowsy that I actually fell into a death-like coma for twenty five minutes. My heart was beating so faintly that these small-town doctors couldn't detect it. Hence, they pronounced me dead. But I woke up later, about an hour and a half later on a gurney in a cabinet in a morgue. I escaped that place in the middle of the night and eventually made my way to Washington DC."

What Mark just said is totally possible. When we checked the footage at the morgue, we were looking for people breaking in, not sneaking out. It would make sense why the body went in the cabinet, but was gone when we found it later.

"Why did you put the ring on the rug?" I asked him.

"I learned from the news Joshua was having an event. I knew you and Erica and your friends from spy school were on the case, so I suspected you were coming. When I saw you guys and Hailey enter, I knew I had to do something to tip you guys off that I was alive. The ring with the only way I thought to do it. To be honest, I thought Hailey would find it but I'm glad you did. I had to be super secretive though, because Joshua didn't even know that I was alive. I don't think he even does now."

"And he probably won't know for the rest of eternity," I said, "He's most likely dead."

Mark's eyes widened, "What happened?"

So I filled him in from the very, very beginning. I told him about how I was watching the news and saw his story. How I contacted all my friends and made it to the farm. How we wound up in DC and everything, including the tragic end of Joshua Hallal.

Mark whistled through his teeth, "You all were very busy. Thank you for finding justice. Thank you for working hard. I guess it is finally time for me to retire. I'm finally realizing how old I actually am," he said with a chuckle, "And thank you for making my daughter happy."

I almost forgot about that whole thing.

"I don't know anymore," I admitted, "We both lied to each other and hurt each other. Can we ever recover?"

"'Maybe not now, at this moment. But talk to her. She's interested in you and you seem interested in her. And no relationship with only happiness and fluff ever works out. Fights strengthen solid relationships. If you can learn to forgive each other and grow, that is the recipe for a strong relationship." Mark told me.

I took his words very seriously. I respected him not only as a congressman, but as a wise man. And his words were true. My parents used to fight a lot and they had couples therapy and are better and stronger than ever right now. They learn to trust, forgive, love, and grow as people in their marriage And I did not want to give up on Hailey and us. I love her. It's the start of something great but maybe now is not the best time for either of us. I had a long day and didn't want to jump to conclusions. I don't know what the future held but I definitely want to keep in touch, at the very least, with Hailey. I know we all do.

"I do know that we can grow and are both willing to grow and adapt. I'm just not sure we're right for each other at the moment. We hurt each other. It's been a very long time since I had a serious relationship. I care very deeply for her, but I don't know if I deserve her. I was quite harsh with her during our argument." I said quietly. I really felt bad about how cold I acted toward her. She didn't deserve that after she didn't freak out I was spying on her.

"I would reconsider," Mark said with a kind smile, "From what I know, Hailey seems very in love with you. I would cut her some slack; I think the guilt of what she thought she did was weighing down on her. And if you are going to make it work somewhere down the line, you guys have to work on trust. You lied to her about being a spy and she lied to you about me. Both of you are at fault."

Mark was very right. I had no right to blame it all on her, as I was as at fault as she was. Being a spy is a huge secret to hold. I can only imagine how insulted she was and how she felt after her privacy was violated. And technically, she wasn't a murderer (even if was technically manslaughter) and that was a plus.

"I'm not sure," I told him honestly, "I love Hailey, I do. I'm just not sure it's going to work out right now."

Mark smiled with a knowing smile and patted my leg, "Well I'm sure you'll figure it out one day."

I nodded slowly, "I hope."

"I'm sure you have to get back to your friends," Mark said, finishing off his coffee, "I'll leave you. And I hope you can keep this between us until everything is sorted out."

"Of course," I said sincerely.

Mark gave a warm smile. He reminded me of a kind, older and wise grandfather. Both my grandfathers died and I only have grandmothers left. It was a nice feeling to talk with Mark.

As he was about to leave the shop, I realized I still had his ring.

"Wait!" I called out, "Your ring!"

He waved me off with a grin, "Keep it for now. One day, I think you'll know what to do with it. It'll show my approval. No one knows what the future will hold. If it doesn't work, keep it anyway. To remember." Mark left before I could ask him what he meant.

I turned back around in my seat and pondered that cryptic message. While I was thinking, I rolled the ring in my hands slowly. What did the future hold for me, now that this is over?

**And that is the end of this part. Some of you predicted parts of it, so good job! THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY!!!! It is the end of this PART BUT THERE WILL BE AN EPILOGUE!!! IT IS NOT THE END!! We will learn in the next chapter what the future holds for all of our characters. The next chapter will be the end though :((. I'm so sad it's coming to an end in the next chapter!!**


	33. Chapter33

**This is the last chapter and the end of this incredible journey. I celebrated 7 months with this story on July 31. Wow a lot of things happened in those seven months. 2020's been crazy. **

**And for the very last time, don't forget to vote and comment. Please enjoy. Bittersweet moment. **

I stared at my reflection and let out a very shaking breath in nervousness. Mike stood behind me, smiling broadly, and put an arm around my shoulders.

"How do I look?" I asked him nervously.

Mike grinned in reassurance, "Amazing."

A lot has happened in the last four years since that spy school reunion.

When I got back to that motel after the conversation with Mark Dazy, I had a lot to figure out. Hailey and I had a long conversation. At that time, we mutually agreed to separate from each other. I knew Mark was going to tell her that he is alive soon. Together, on good terms, we agreed it would be best to take a break.

I know now that, at that time in my life, I wasn't ready for any type of relationship. I was at a very low point, as I had just lost my apartment and was suffering a bit of an identity crisis. I was in a stressful situation and wasn't my normal self. As cheesy as this sounds, I needed to love myself before giving love to anyone else. During that time, I was self conscious and didn't love who I was. I was in no shape phycologically to be in a relationship. After a lot of soul searching and life had calmed down, I found who I was and learned to be content with who I was.

The shock Hailey felt after hearing that Mark was alive didn't make her ready for a relationship either. She had to process that information and have extensive talks with her dad. The physiological stress that comes with guilt was taking a toll, and then she had to learn that the guilt was for nothing as her dad was still alive. Hailey had a lot of personal pressure to deal with. We needed to get our own lives together.

So for the next two years, Hailey and I, respectively, focused on our careers. It was great for our mental health so that we could focus our energy somewhere else. I worked my way up to be COO of the private equity firm and Hailey went back to work in New York. She published many articles on the molecular biology properties of neurons and neural circuits. They were absolutely fascinating and I read all of them.

Erica was so kind as to lend me the money for a new apartment in the better side of Washington DC. The Erica Bank was even better than a real bank because she charged no interest. She literally offered to just buy me an apartment but I felt really bad being a charity case so I told her that I would pay her back.

Zoe suffered a hectic year after our reunion. Kurt and Zoe went into crazy legal battles over the house, divorce, parental guardianship over Jackson and Stella, child support, emotional and physical abuse and tons more. Luckily, Erica was supplying lawyers and money to Zoe's case while Kurt had to fund everything himself. In the end, Zoe got sole guardianship over the kids as the court deemed it unsafe for the children to be with him alone (and Kurt could visit only with approval from Zoe) and Kurt had to pay child support. After a ton of court dates, Kurt was not prosecuted with any charges for emotional or physical abuse. He never hit her and cheating on your wife isn't a felony in Illinois, as awful as it is. However, as all the documents are in Kurt's name, he still owns the house. But after all these legal battles, I'm sure he'll have to sell the house to pay for the lawyers. Plus he has to pay off the mortgage still. But still, because of all this, Zoe, Jackson and Stella were technically homeless.

Scott was arrested for a year. He was charged with conspiring with terrorists or something. Because he was helpful and didn't actually do anything physically wrong, that was the best case scenario for him.

Oh and Joshua died, along with Murray and everyone else at that riverside house. There was an ongoing investigation blah blah blah on his whole case, but that thing was a giant headache so I didn't really keep up with it. Unfortunate that they came to the end that way but, let's face it, we all expected it sometime.

Anyway, because Zoe and her family are homeless and Scott was in prison, Erica hired Zoe as her personal assistant. Scott previously had the job and because Zoe went straight from college to being a mom, Zoe has no work experience at all. She was struggling to find work as a single mother with a newborn and absolutely no work experience in her field. Erica needed an assistant and it worked out perfectly. Zoe has one of the three guest houses on Erica's LA property but prefers to stay in the main house. Jackson absolutely loves it as there's a bowling alley and pool. He went through a bit of a confused and depressed state while his parents were getting divorced. Luckily, Erica loves to spoil him so he's been pretty happy recently. Zoe is planning to stay with Erica until she can afford to get her own place, but she's still planning to stay near Erica in LA. I'm so happy for both of them and that they're close, but I'm sad that I live on the opposite side of the country so I can't visit them too often. I'm pretty close to Mike though!

Mike has been doing great. On our reunion mission, he went completely sober. It was very hard for him but he persevered and is still sober. After making amends with the MLB, Mike was allowed back on the team for the next season. He pitched the best season of his career thus far and Boston loves him again. Cameron, on the other hand, was dragged through the dirt. Mike exposed Cameron and how he sabotaged him for that newbie. Cameron had to pay heavy fines and because the newbie player wasn't technically paying him, without Mike's paycheck he was broke. That newbie dropped Cameron as an agent as well and because of his public humiliation, no one else would sign him. Mike is thriving with his new agent and is doing fantastic, even four years later.

As for Audrey, after she dropped up in the wilderness a while back, she convinced everyone in the plane that they wouldn't be able to find us until the morning. Because all these agents assigned with Audrey were lazy, they immediately agreed and went back home to DC. The next day, Audrey sent a crew of CIA agents to search for us, but these were the complete idiots of the group and one fell into a ravine. It took them a whole other day to get that agent out. She had to keep the CIA at bay once she called telling me about Hailey being the one who applied the drug to Mark's glass. We called her immediately after everything went down in DC. She alerted everyone at the CIA and now in charge of the Joshua investigation. She had to play dumb and pretend like some of her intel from us was from other sources. We would technically get into a lot of trouble if the CIA found out what we did.

Jawa and Chip did excellent in their respective fields too. Jawa got two silver and one gold medal at the Olympics for team USA. Chip's movie made hundreds of millions dollars domestically in the box office. They were both doing great.

As for my friend's romantic lives, eh, not too exciting. Chip is rumored in the tabloids to be dating some model from Hawaii he's never met. Zoe is doing some light dating in LA, but nothing too serious. Mike is too focused on his career for a girlfriend at the moment. Erica isn't dating anyone as she claims everyone from LA is trying to use her for fame and clout, which is probably true. Jawa is starting to date a fellow Olympian he met during the Olympics. I'm very happy for him! We'll see in the future, though. You never know.

So back to me. In those two years of focusing on my career, I dated around a little bit. I dated some mutual friends, some co-workers and some people I just met. They were all very nice and wonderful people, but I didn't really feel a solid connection. On a whim one day, I reached back out to Hailey, to see if she wanted to grab a cup of coffee. I hadn't seen her in awhile and I really wanted to see her and catch up. Plus I wanted to pick her brain about this particular article she wrote about the emergent properties of neurons. She was working in New York at the time so it was only a fairly short drive to meet her.

We had a wonderful chat. That one chat became once every month. Once every two weeks. Hailey and I started over. We talked about where we both were mentally back then versus now. We were both in bad spots back then. She was dealing with tremendous guilt and grief about her father and I was struggling with financial and personal stress. Two years later when we grabbed coffee, we were doing much better. Hailey frequently talked with her father and went to therapy for everything. We ultimately both forgave each other.

Hailey and I officially started dating about two and a half years after the spy school reunion. We both went through that crazy mission together and, because of our shared experiences, really could get along. Plus, it would be hard explaining to our boyfriend or girlfriend about being a spy or thinking you murdered your father. We re-introduced each other and became acquainted with the normal parts of each other. What our favorite foods were or what our favorite thing to do on the weekend was. And honestly, once we learned to trust each other and love each other, it was absolutely amazing. After two years of dating, I proposed to Hailey with the ring given to me by her father those four years ago. I kept it, thinking about the possibility, but never really considering it seriously until we started dating. She was surprised and delighted it was with that ring. It showed to her that her father approved of this marriage. We moved in together in her large apartment in New York two months later. Our equity firm wasn't doing too well at the time so I stepped down. Erica needed a new financial advisor, so she hired me to be hers. It was great because I could work from home in New York while Hailey went to work. It also gave us an excuse to visit Zoe and Erica often.

Fast forward to today. Our wedding day. We were getting married in this beautiful private garden in Washington DC. Hailey's whole giant extended family was there and my family was there. Plus all of our friends of course.

Mike was helping me get ready. The guests were mingling outside on the beach and Hailey was getting ready with her bridesmaids. Hailey was never super close with any of her sisters as they were all much older than she was, so she asked Erica to be her maid of honor. Erica and Hailey stayed in very close touch after the mission. Hailey was one of the few people who Erica actually tolerated. They went to lunch whenever each other was in town and Erica, Hailey and Zoe even went on a girls trip to Hawaii or something. Erica was the first person I actually told about hypothetically proposing to Hailey and Erica loved the idea (also because I think she wanted to go to a wedding). It's been a whirlwind to get to this point in organizing the wedding and stuff, but it's been super fun for Hailey and I to do it together.

It was weird seeing my actual real family talking with my spy school friends. It seemed like a weird mix that shouldn't be together. I was told to always hide the existence of spy school and it's students, so it was odd to see them all come tougher. Hailey and my family thought they were just friends from middle school, which I guess they technically were. As I peeked out the curtain, I saw Audrey talking to my cousin Pete. It was strange to witness, but I loved it nonetheless.

I was apprehensive to do so (in fear of rejection) but with Erica's encouragement, I asked Cyrus, Alexander and Catherine to attend my wedding. Alexander said yes first immediately and hung up on me to get a new suit tailored. Catherine said she was delighted and honored to come. When I called her, I think she was on a helicopter or something, still doing missions for the MI6. She couldn't tell me though. Cyrus took more convincing. I hadn't seen him in almost fifteen years. He is eighty seven now but looks about seventy. I think my grandpa was jealous of how fit and young Cyrus looked. Cyrus first complained about there being no point to weddings and rambled about "back in the day" how they just went to the courthouse and it was a done deal. But eventually, he agreed to come. I couldn't be sure, but Cyrus was still working in the CIA. Even he was too old to be in the field any longer (officially that is) so he works in terrorist intel.

Audrey came, despite her crazy busy schedule. She was one of the lead agents on Joshua's case and had to sort his whole mess out. I can tell it was stressful and I convinced her to come to the wedding for one weekend to let loose a little bit. I think she needed it.

Hailey's whole family came. Her many, many siblings, their children, her cousins, her father and even Diana came. Her whole family had a lot of talking to do. The Dazy family had to work it out together with the whole dad-not-being-dead-despite-months thing. Diana and Hailey weren't really on the best terms as they were still a little cold to each other. But despite all of that, they were still sisters and Diana wanted to be there and support her little sister.

I hadn't seen Hailey yet. We wanted to keep intact the tradition that the bride and groom don't see each other until they're at the altar. There was still plenty of time before the wedding started, but because I'm an overplanner, I wanted to be ready extra early.

Even though I knew I was certain with my decision to marry Hailey, I was still nervous. I was making the biggest, best decision of my life. How could I not be nervous?

Mike grinned into the mirror at me. As my best man, he was helping me get ready.

"Dude, you look amazing. Hailey is lucky to have you. You're lucky to have her. It's gonna be a great day, you know that right? Best day of your life."

I nodded. It was very reassuring and true. Before I could respond, someone burst into our tent area. Mike immediately put his hands over my eyes in case it was Hailey. No, it was Erica, Zoe and Audrey.

They were all bridesmaids (and of course maid of honor) and looked beautiful. Our color theme was white, light teal and pale pink. The girls in the wedding wore pale pink floor length summer dresses and the men wore black tuxedos with teal ties and pocket squares. Jackson was our ring bear and had the most adorable tiny tux on.

Anyway, the girls burst into my tent. They all looked gorgeous. Erica hired this Hollywood stylist team as "only a part of your wedding gift" for all of our preparations. I'm sure Hailey will look stunning. Everyone in the wedding looked fantastic, including me, I do say so myself.

"Oh my god, Ben, you look amazing!" Zoe squealed.

They all fawned over me and my fancy tuxedo I got fitted.

"How does Hailey look?" Mike asked them, as Zoe and Erica were just with her getting ready.

Erica opened her mouth but I quickly interrupted her.

"No! Don't tell me! It'll ruin the surprise and give us back luck!"

Erica rolled her eyes at me good in nature, "Calm down, I can say that she looks absolutely gorgeous. You're one lucky man Ripley."

I nodded with a big goofy smile on my face, "I know."

About the last name. I was technically, legally, still Ben Randoph. But I fought with the CIA (mainly got Audrey to fight for me) and they let me get Ripley back now that I Joshua and Murray were dead. So I'm legally Benjamin Ripley now. Hailey decided not to take my last name in honor of her father and I completely respected and supported that.

Suddenly, more people burst into the tent.

"Did you tell him yet?!" Chip exclaimed excitedly with Jawa on his heels.

"Tell me what?" I asked, confused.

"No, shut up you idiots," Audrey playfully shoved Chip.

"What?" I asked before a dark bag was abruptly shoved over my head. Luckily I hadn't done my hair yet. Someone grabbed my wrist and applied pressure to a nerve, causing me to black out. Oh no, not my wedding day... was the only thing I could think before falling into the darkness.

XXX

I woke up once the vehicle the kidnappers trapped me in hit a pothole. The dark bag was still securely over my head. We must have been there already when two strong arms lifted me up and out of the car. They plopped me right on my feet. The bag was yanked off my head and Erica was standing in front of me proudly. Zoe, Audrey, Mike, Jawa and Chip were grinning happily next to me.

I recognized this area. Gosh, I haven't been here in almost fifteen years. I used to live close, but I avoided the area. I refused to go. We were back at spy school.

It looked kinda gothic all abandoned. It hasn't been used in fifteen years. Sometimes the CIA would have new recruits use its training grounds, but other than that it's been unused. It was in poor shape.

Erica stepped out of the way and stood next to me.

"Congratulations, Ben." Confused, I looked up. In replacement of the familiar ancient metal sign that said 'St. Smithen's Academy for Boys and Girls', a new, fresh sign took its place.

I read the new sign aloud. "The Benjamin Ripley Math and Science Academy," I wheeled on them, who were all smiling broadly.

"Is this real?!" I exclaimed in excitement.

"Yep," Erica said, "Here's your wedding present from all of us. Congratulations on your new chapter in your life."

"Thanks to the very generous donations from, well, mainly the rich people; Erica, Mike and Chip, the CIA has enough funds to re-open The Academy of Espionage, under the alias The Benjamin Ripley Math and Science Academy. A whole new generation of kids will be trained, like us, to be the next batch of CIA spies." Audrey explained.

I was speechless. Honored, shocked, amazed, happy and excited. We had all naturally formed a line, looking at the new sign. I put my arm around Mike. Erica clutched my hand. Chip side hugged Erica. Zoe put her arm around Mike's torso. Jawa put his arm around Chip's neck. Audrey rested her hand on Zoe's arm. I laid my head on Mike's shoulder. And we just stood there, imagining all the kids who will embark on the same wonderful journey we all went on, the one that brought us together.

**And there we have it. The end of Spy School Reunion. **

**I want to thank each and every one of you for all of your love and support through this story. I'm going to stop myself before I get too gross and sappy. Thank you to everyone who read, commented, liked and favorited this story. It means the world to me. Thank you. **


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